


The God Complex

by watercolorwoman



Series: Chronostasis [5]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Persona 5 Spoilers, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Drama, Psychological Torture, Spoilers, its not all doom and gloom, slice of life moments I promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:02:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29086554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watercolorwoman/pseuds/watercolorwoman
Summary: "Seven palaces in seventy days. Complete all seven successfully and I guarantee your team will return. Fail and everyone will stay here until this reality falls apart""Who are the rulers?""They're sitting in this room. Your fellow Phantom Thieves."The Phantom Thieves are faced with their toughest palace rulers yet. Stuck second guessing everyone's intentions and with constant drama on the horizon, they're forced to overcome their worst fears - losing themselves in their distortions.Is there a way to save everyone from their darkest desires? Only one way to find out.--(Reading the other parts are recommended but not required to understand the story)Weekend Updates
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakura Futaba, Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Niijima Makoto/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann
Series: Chronostasis [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828765
Comments: 27
Kudos: 52





	1. The Arcana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arcana or Arcanum -  
> mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are new to this series, I would recommend going back and reading the other parts. While it's not entirely needed to understand this, it provides context.
> 
> Also, I know for a fact this isn't a new idea by any means. But hopefully my interpretation of the Phantom Thieves having palaces comes through okay.

_-Wake up-_

Where… is he?

Akira’s eyes open, but there’s darkness. He feels a soft cloth around his eyes, but when he tries to reach for it, his hands are tied back.  
He tries to move his feet, but his ankles are constrained by a rough rope. 

Maybe he can move the chair? He shifts back and forth, but his body hardly moves. Is there something around his mouth? No, he can easily open and close his mouth. 

Okay, what's the last thing he remembers? 

Christmas Eve. They go down into the Depths of Mementos. Morgana is unfortunately gone, but he learned his true purpose. The Phantom Thieves saved the world from Yaldabaoth. He saw Kasumi afterwards. 

Was that really yesterday? He's not sure how long it's been. It feels like an eternity, stuck in his thoughts until he hears - 

“WHAT THE EFF IS GOING ON?” Ryuji cries out. He's nearby, but it's not clear how close.

“Don’t yell, I’m literally right next to you,” Ann’s voice is next, also further away from Akira. Yet another question: how many of the Phantom Thieves were here? 

“Before anyone else speaks up,” Akira says quickly, “I’m going to do a roll call. I hear Ann and Ryuji, so you two are fine. Let’s see… Makoto?” 

“Present,” Makoto sighs.

“Okay, Yusuke?”

“I’m here, but I'm confused - Who is kicking my foot?” Yusuke responds. A familiar giggle erupts next to him. How she can move her foot enough to hit him baffles Akira...

“Who else, Inari? Even when held hostage you’re stuck with me.” Futaba laughs. From the five voices he’s heard thus far, it sounds as if they're in a circle. The majority of them were here, always a good sign. 

“Haru? Morgana?” He says Morgana's name optimistically, in hopes of hearing his voice. 

“I’m here,” Haru says calmly. 

Silence. No sign of the cat. 

“I guess Morgana isn’t here…” Akira trails off. Now what? Does he call for whoever's out there? Do they plan an escape? At least most of the group is here. It would've been worse if he was here with less than half of the team, or even worse, alone. 

Although, everyone sounds so far away. He's not sure how far, and clearly some of them are next to each other. So that begs the question… who's next to him?

"Um, hi Akira." A soft voice speaks near him. It's a whisper, but he knows Kasumi's voice anywhere. He tilts his head back and groans. No, he was really hoping she wouldn't be subjected to… well, whatever is going on. 

"As nice as it is to see you, I was hoping you wouldn't be here." Akira defends himself. 

"I understand, I'm confused as well." Kasumi says. It's quiet for a moment, but Akira hardly has a moment to contemplate. 

"If you're all confused about this shit, try being me." 

Oh god Goro Akechi. 

"How the hell did you live?" Ryuji angrily yells.

“I don't know, ask Shido." Akechi dryly responds.

Of all the people that could’ve been here, it's Goro Akechi. It didn't make any sense, they saw him die in Shido's palace. Well, they didn't not exactly see him die, but Futaba didn’t have any readings on him after the gunshots went off. With no sign of him after, nothing made sense. 

Akira awkwardly shuffles his feet, as much as he can with the constraints. What does he say now without sounding insensitive?

“Dude you died, how are you here?” Futaba asks. Thankfully, or maybe not, Ryuji and Futaba are sparing him the uncomfortable questions. 

“Like I said, I don't know. How much time has even passed?" Goro says. 

"It was Christmas Eve." Makoto responds. Akira doesn't have to see her face to know she's annoyed. He's not sure how she felt after seeing him die, especially when apologized in his last moments. 

_-Long enough-_

It's the voice he heard, the one who told him to wake up. The voice is garbled and distorted with every single syllable. There's no indication, no inflection to tell him who's speaking. It's still recognizable, he just doesn't know why...

"Who are you?" Yusuke asks. 

_-It doesn't matter. The Phantom Thieves in are good hands now.-_

Whoever they were, they know their identities, but it goes beyond the Thieves. Akechi and Kasumi were never formally part of the team. Why are they here? It couldn't be one of his close confidants; there's no way they'd know everyone. It doesn't make sense, none of the connections do. At best? Iwai. His previous underground connections make even the hardest of secrets easy to crack. But Iwai never would go to this length. 

"So what is? Some kind of game to you?" Makoto seeths. 

_-In a way, yes. First, welcome to my reality. It was difficult to get here and yet… here we are.-_

“What the eff do ya mean?” Ryuji shouts. 

_-Interruptions are disrespectful-_

Ryuji continues his protests, only for a choking sound to hit his throat. He gags, heavy breathing coming through. There's muffled screams. With a single hard slap, it stops. It sounds serious, but he hopes its impact is less damaging than the sound of skin on skin. 

_-Second, your cat friend is trapped. Find him before you leave and he leaves with you. Fail and he's gone forever. There is a single condition to escaping this reality-_

"And what would that be?" Futaba says. Her voice sounds frustrated, but holds the same aggression that caused Ryuji's silence. 

_-Seven palaces in seventy days. Complete all seven successfully and I guarantee your team will return. Fail and everyone will stay here until this reality falls apart-_

Okay, they've done palaces in less time. Although, it takes time to develop a case. The adults don't appear out of nowhere - it comes from events in their lives, like when Futaba first contacted them or Okumura's palace in the website rankings. 

"Who are the rulers?" Ann chimes in. 

_-They're sitting in this room. Your fellow Phantom Thieves.-_

The room explodes. Akira can't make out a single word from the chatter all around him. His own thoughts match the words flooding from everyone else. It's not possible for a persona user to have a palace. It's something Morgana emphasized over and over among their group. 

Then again, this is a new reality. Anything can happen. 

_-Silence-_

Everyone listens. No one wants the same gagging situation as Ryuji. 

“Why are you doing this?” Akira asks calmly. He's careful with his tone. 

_-....wake up….-_

...

..

.

Akira feels his eyes close, and despite trying to fight back against the exhaustion, he slips into a dreamless sleep. So when he wakes back up at LeBlanc in his bed, he’s unsure where he is. Was at all just some weird lucid dream, or is he in a new reality? 

He goes straight to his phone. 

January 1st. 

Did he lose his memory? How was he asleep for a week? Nothing made sense before, it makes even less sense now. 

Scanning the room, he notices Morgana is missing. Sure, he was still missing on Christmas Eve as well. But from the little that the voice told them, Morgana is still alive. He's somewhere and they don't have any sort of lead, but he is alive. 

This has to be a dream. 

One very elaborate, confusing and realistic dream. He should go back to sleep, rest his head and wake up on Christmas Day. He wants to consider it as such until he hears a banging on his bedroom door. 

“AKIRA WAKE THE FUCK UP!” Futaba calls from the other side of his door. Her fist bangs over and over on the wood. Akira groggily walks over to the door and lets her into his room. She comes storming in. Her feet already pace the room with heavy steps. 

“Are you okay? What’s going on?” He asks. She stops walking. Her face scrunches up and her nose flares up. 

"You saw that shit with the palace stuff you were there! Plus, have you talked to Sojiro yet? He sounds like an NPC!” Futaba cries. “I don’t know what happened to him, but that’s not Sojiro, he’s too basic.” 

He's going to stop thinking that nothing made sense. This is the world now, he's just going to have to accept it. 

"So this reality isn't the same as ours? Or maybe he’s sick?” Akira tries to reason, but as she starts her walk again, it's clear she's not buying that. 

"He's not sick, this whole situation is sick though!" She sharply comments. She begins to mumble thoughts Akira can’t hear very closely. As much as he wants to settle on the event as a dream, he no longer has that luxury. Futaba knows what was happening, and that means everyone else does too. 

"There's something I don't get about this. How could he trigger palaces within persona users, steal Morgana, and bring Akechi back to life?” Akira thinks aloud as well. 

Futaba gasps, reaching for the phone in her pocket. A few seconds later, Akira’s phone goes off. Futaba created a brand new group chat. At first glance, it includes the same people as their normal Phantom Thieves group chat. The main difference? Akechi and Kasumi are included on the list. Wait, did he give Futaba her number? No, but knowing her she dug it up at some point

Title of the group chat? ‘Fuck This Reality’. A classy name, from the classiest person he knows. 

He still giggles from the name. 

Futaba: ANSWER HERE IF YOU KNOW WHY I PUT THIS TOGETHER.  
Akira: Or if you notice any major changes in what’s around you.  
Ryuji: ...I think my Ma is missing.

\--  
When Ryuji wakes up, he feels as if hands wrap around and bruise his neck until he can't breathe anymore. He has to sit up to try and get air into his lungs, despite the weezing. It takes some time, but he gets there. 

That means whatever shit happened in his dream wasn't actually some bad dream. It was real. But if that's true, then why does his room look exactly the same? There isn't anything out of place or super different. 

He doesn’t bother to check his phone, instead choosing to look around the house. The living is pristine, like no one's been in it for weeks. That can't be right - he never really cleans the living room and his mom isn't great at it either. 

The only mess is on the counter. There's a small pile of multi colored sticky notes. All the the papers have words in his mom's handwriting. From the dates, it's a week's worth of missed chances and connections.

>   
>  Going to work, see you soon!  
>  Got called in for another shift, be back late tonight.  
>  Putting in overtime tonight. Don't stay up too late!  
> 

The calendar his mom keeps on the fridge lines up with the sticky notes. January 1st? What happened to the week in-between?

He furrows his brows and walks over to look at his mother’s room. Like the living room, it looks untouched. As if no one actually lived here but Ryuji. 

Going back into the living room, he finally notices the lack of photos around. The only photo is of him and Makoto on the coffee table, but there's none of his mother. He feels a sharp pain in his chest, knowing that in this reality that the stupid guy made, his mom didn’t exist. 

He groans, going back to his room. If anyone is going to help, it's the Phantom Thieves. When he sees he’s added to a new group chat, he tells them upfront his mother is missing. 

Akira: Your mom is missing?  
Ryuji: She left some notes, but I checked the apartment. It’s like she ain’t even real.  
Kasumi: I’m sorry about your mother. It seems fine for me here, but I’m confused why it’s January…?

\--  
Kasumi sits in the empty apartment. It was already quiet without Sumire around, and now her parents are missing. No note left behind anywhere in the home like Ryuji’s. She feels abandoned, but there is nothing she could do besides make something small for breakfast. 

When she checks her phone in between preparations, she sees the date first and foremost. January…? That didn’t make any sense to her. She missed Christmas, and is already on track to miss the new year. 

She tries to call her parents, but it goes straight to voicemail every single time. 

She doesn't realize she's crying until a tear hits the plate, a soft glass sound following. It feels like a sonic boom compared to the silence she is stuck with. Why is this the reality she's stuck with? 

She feels the same kind of grief as when she lost Sumire. It wasn't too long ago, but it may as well be a lifetime with everything that's happened to her in the short few months. . 

Looking back at her phone again, she actually responds to the messages slowly increasing on her phone. 

An unfortunate confirmation that her parents were likely missing for good here. 

\--  
Futaba: I’ve slept for a week before so for you plebeians this must be weird.  
Ryuji: At least if we slept for a week, it wasn’t with some hackers threaten’ us and shit.  
Futaba: YOU GUYS GOT ME TIRED!  
Akira: Can we stay on topic please? Anyone else?  
Yusuke: I’ve spoken to some of the students, they all seem reserved. More so than usual.  
\--

Yusuke spends thirty minutes talking to anyone who would give him the time of day. The event leaves him somewhat startled, but mostly confused about what's going on. He's only able to catch students, but they all give short responses to his questions. Even then, no one addresses his direct question regarding 'reality.'

The longest response he gets is from a third-year down the hall from him. When he ran into her, he tries something new and asks about the holidays. 

“I love New Year’s.” She says, her eyes blankly staring back at him. 

“Yes, but wasn’t it Christmas Eve yesterday? How is it January?” He asks, his voice getting more and more desperate with each word. 

“It’s New Year’s Day today, how fun! Now, please excuse me,” She says, walking around the blue-haired boy. Yusuke looks back, his eyes following her. Nothing feela right, and being surrounded by people who couldn’t see that is discouraging. He sulks back to his room, throwing himself back on the bed. He's about to text Futaba when he receives a call from a familiar number, one not saved on his phone. 

Should he…?

Yusuke hesitates a moment before answering. 

_“Ah, Yusuke? Is now a good time to talk?”_

Out of everyone that could’ve called him in this new reality, of course it would be Madarame. It took Yusuke months to get over his attachment to his former guardian, even longer to fully accept that he’d never be the man he thought he was. He's forever grateful the Phantom Thieves saved him when they did, but it meant he still has to put in the work to correct himself. 

Yusuke opens his mouth to say something, but hangs up in one swift motion. Saying anything would add fuel to a fire he didn’t want to start again. When he looks back at his phone after hanging up, he sees a few messages from a new group chat. Looking at the name, he knows this was definitely formed by Futaba. He tells them about the students, omitting his brief experience with Madarame. 

Akira: Sojiro was apparently acting strange earlier as well.  
Futaba: All you art folks are the same, sticks up your asses and shit.  
Ryuji: Futaba you’re dating Yusuke, one of the ‘art folks’  
Futaba: Wow it’s just shit on Futaba day. 凸(`△´＃)  
Yusuke: Ryuji does make a good point...  
Futaba: Yeah but your stick is less up your ass, that’s why I deal with you.  
Akira: On topic, please? Anyone else?  
...  
Ann: Yeah sorry, seems fine for me here. But I also live alone, but the date thing is weird.

\--

The first thing Ann does in the morning is text Shiho. Should she have texted the Phantom Thieves? Probably, but she wants to see how her girlfriend was, and if she was okay. 

Shiho is clearly… off this morning. Her responses are shorter and less engaging than usual. But it is pretty early in the morning, and she knows Shido is a night owl. Honestly, getting any answer before noon on a non-school day is a big deal. 

Ann puts her phone down for a moment, taking a moment to digest everything that happened in her dream. 

She remembered yelling at Ryuji, and the creepy voice telling them all these rules. Whoever they are, they're really threatening and scary. It's unsettling for her, but she knows she has to deal with it, along with the rest of the team. 

Even if meant, you know, dealing with palaces from their group. With seven of the nine getting a palace, odds are she’ll likely become one of the villains she sought to get rid of back when she first joined the Phantom Thieves. All she can do now is stay positive and believe in her friends, which meant actually responding to all the texts she heard coming from her phone. Oops. 

Akira: Really? Nothing out of the ordinary?

Ann bites her lip, thinking about Shiho being off. No, it's nothing. It's not like she's avoiding the topic. It's more like… it's nothing that weird, so it's just nothing. Probably a fluke. 

Ann: Yeah, business as usual at my house.  
Futaba: No dirty pics from Shiho today huh?  
Ann: FUTABA  
Ryuji: You know she lives off of this shit.  
Futaba: Oh for sure.  
Ann: Wait who else have you seen naked?  
Futaba: I may have promised a certain blonde and brunette I wouldn’t share, BUT if I’ve seen you naked you know who you are.  
Makoto: FUTABA YOU PROMISED.  
Futaba: ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶  
Akira: Okay gross, but that’s one way to get them to answer...  
Makoto: To bring the conversation back...Yes, we’re fine, but Haru and I both remember the same strange experience as well. 

\-- 

Haru wakes up to Makoto at her bedroom door. That in itself wouldn't normally shock her. They've lived together for a few months now, it wasn't unusual for Makoto to be at her doorway. It's more so the circumstances. And the date. And the dream. 

At first glance, Haru isn't concerned about the reality. Everything is in place as it normally is, there's no changes in her home. It's more so the look on Makoto's face that really gets her to think twice. It's the same concern she sees after Makoto has a nightmare. 

Unlike Makoto’s nightmares, this is all very real.

So really, it doesn't surprise Haru when she sees her roommate standing at the door with that sad, pleading look on her face. 

“You remember -”

“-the weird guy and -”

“-the rules, and the palaces, oh my god -”

“-We’re the palace rulers.” 

They finish each other sentences, both having similar trains of thought. But stepping on each other’s toes is the confirmation they both need to justify the experience. Haru jumps out of bed, walking over to her friend. Her mind goes straight to one thing.  
If it is all true, then it means dealing with Akechi again. After all the chaos that happened over the past few months and the pain she saw it cause Makoto and Ryuji directly, it's hard for her to not hate him. 

“That means Akechi is alive.” Makoto says, the pleading look changes into a more serious but confused look. "I don't know how to feel about it."

"What are your thoughts on the matter?" Haru calmly asks. Yes, she knows her own thoughts, but Makoto's still did matter. At least enough for her to decide how much she'd ignore him. 

"He apologized at the end, but I don't think that's enough for me to get over what happened. I don't really have a choice though. If he is alive then we have to deal with it." Makoto shrugs. 

“Unfortunately.” Haru responds, going around her friend to go into the kitchen. All she wants right now is delicious tea, and of course to go back to their true home. If she can't go to her reality, she can at least control what warm drink she enjoys. 

They haven't really talked about Akechi since his death. There was no reason to really bring it up, especially since they both had their own feelings about it. She knows Makoto has been conflicted since the gunshots in Shido’s palace. For Haru, she’s angrier than she cares to admit. 

Makoto enters the kitchen moments later with her phone in hand. 

"There's a new group chat, that's weird. Oh it's definitely a Futaba one." Makoto shows Haru the phone as she lights the stove and allows the water to heat up. 

“I'm not sure why Futaba started a new group chat other than to add a cheeky name to it.” Haru says, laughing at the name. 

Ryuji: The gang’s all here. Do you guys still have the app? I still got a creepy red lookin’ eye on my phone.  
Yoshizawa: Oh, I have that app as well.  
Yusuke: You were the one in Sae’s palace, the one who assisted Akira?  
Yoshizawa: Yes!  
Futaba: Welp, back into the Metaverse folks.  
Akira: Hold on, we’re still waiting on someone.  
Ann: Uh, if you mean Morgana he’s obviously not gonna answer.  
Goro: Let's just meet and get this shit over with.  
Futaba: AH HE’S BACK!  
Akira: Futaba literally just yelled that if anyone heard her from across Tokyo.  
Goro: As soon as possible.  
Ryuji: This is so trippy… Anyway, Akira, your place?  
Akira: I don’t know, Sojiro doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. I feel like I can’t trust him right now.  
Futaba: Yup!!! He’s actually being polite, he hasn’t given me any sass!  
Makoto: We can offer our place?  
Akira: Sounds good. Everyone be there in an hour, see you all soon.

Haru gasps, “Are you okay with Akechi being here?” 

“We have the space for everyone, and we can’t exactly go into LeBlanc until we figure out if we can trust Sojiro. We don’t know what or who we’re up against. I’m not fond of the idea but it’s the most reasonable one.” Makoto says. 

Haru knows she’s right, but it doesn’t make her feel any better about the situation. There’s strength in numbers, and while a majority of the team may oppose him joining right now, there’s common goals between all of them. Find whoever is doing this to them, and go back to their reality. 

“I’m sorry,” Haru sighs, squeezing the bridge of her nose. “This is stressing me out more than I expected it to. I’ll make enough tea and coffee for the others when they arrive.” 

Makoto goes into the living to rearrange the seats, leaving Haru alone in the kitchen. As she starts a coffee drip and deals with the team she thinks about Akechi being alive. 

There are several reasons for Haru to not want any interaction with him. He made Makoto's life a living hell and nearly got her killed, which in turn, made things incredibly difficult for Ryuji to assist with. He attempted to kill Akira, and when he failed, he wanted to kill them in Shido's palace. 

Oh, and of course, the glaring detail of him murdering her father. 

All of these things bothered her, but these were things she had answers to. Now, there's no explanation for him coming back to life. She isn't sure how, but she is determined to figure out why he's alive.


	2. Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **UPRIGHT: Endings, change, transformation, transition**  
>  REVERSED: Resistance to change, personal transformation, inner purging

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~friendly reminder that Yoshizawa is still, well, Kasumi~~

The team trickles in little by little over the next hour. The entire time, Haru sits on the edge of her seat. She grips lightly onto the hem of her skirt. She's happy to see all of her friends alive and well, especially Ryuji considering he was likely gagged after speaking out, but she couldn’t shake off the stress of dealing with Akechi. So when he finally strolls in, she doesn't know how to feel. 

She needs to remain civil. It's in everyone's best interest. However, it didn't mean she has to personally hand him a cup of tea as she did with the others. 

No, she can't do that. She hates anyone feeling left out… also the others already happily with their drinks and chatting in the living room and she would feel rude. After he hangs his coat, Haru holds the teacup in her hand and walks to him.

"Tea?" Haru says with a fake smile. He skeptically looks at it before he takes it from her. 

"Thanks." He mumbles under his breath. Okay, simple and short conversations. That's all she wants out of this. With Akechi here, she joins the others by sitting next to Makoto. Hopefully no one could feel the negative and uncertain energy coming from her. 

“Okay let's start...” Akira claps his hands together, "Futaba and I talked a little before this, she can share the information." 

“Yup!” She excitedly stands up, holding a small piece of paper in her hand. She glances at it from time to time: “There’s an asshole. No real name but I’ve decided to just call him the Asshole. This guy said we were in a different reality, and it seems like we are. Phantom Thieves are still a thing, but not really talked about. Even Shido is missing. So this reality seems to be a copy of the existing one, but a hollow version of it.” 

"Thanks Futaba," Akira nods. She plops back down with a light thud. 

"He hardly told us anything himself as well," Makoto adds, "Only that Morgana is somewhere and the seven palaces. Well, that is if we can trust him. We only really have each other to rely on."

There's a scoff from the side of the group circle. Haru stares daggers into the side of Akechi's head, the source of the sound. His face is almost entirely blank, aside from a slight disgust in his eyes. 

"Trust? There’s constantly going to be an evil person in this group and you expect us to blindly trust each other? No thank you, that’s a recipe for disaster.”

Oh, Haru isn't going to let this slide. She doesn't see herself as an overly confrontational person, but with the right words and wrong person, she'll argue back. Unfortunately, Akechi checks off both boxes. 

“Just because someone has a palace doesn’t make them evil." Haru interrupts, "It just means their desires are so distorted, but that doesn’t inherently make them a bad person.”

“And what do you face every single time in a palace? An evil ruler. You can’t tell me there isn’t some wicked intent behind it.” Akechi’s voice is sharp. With his full attention to Haru, it’s clearer in his eyes he doesn’t care about starting an argument with her. If anything, he might enjoy it. 

“Let’s move on, this won’t help any of us-” Makoto tries to ease the argument. 

“In Futaba’s palace,” Normally Haru would stop, but with his narrow state of mind, she simply can't back down yet. “The team fought her mother. Her ruler may have added roadblocks, but she meant no malintent. Sae-san wasn’t evil either, she was misguided by her own ambitions -”

Akechi leans forward, breaking some of the space between them. “And what about your own father? Are you going to say he was misunderstood?” 

Her face scrunches up. She holds back the tears she wants to let out over those conflicting feelings resurfacing all over again. She’ll never be able to argue back effectively to him, but that doesn’t mean she can’t keep trying. 

“Of all people you are the last who should bring up my father, don’t you dare bring him up! I bet - er, I bet…” Haru pulls out her phone, nearly slamming it on the middle of the coffee table they all surrounded. She presses the familiar red application and quickly types in his name. Truthfully she's not sure what to expect, but she knows something will come out of it. Either she'll confirm that he's not the first one, or - 

_Candidate Found._

"Surprise surprise." Akechi mumbles. Is that a hint of surprise in his voice? She can’t entirely tell. But it doesn't feel good finding out that he's the first… because she was upset over an argument. 

The room is eerily still for a moment as everyone tries to take in that they have their first palace ruler, and it was the one with the most kills under his belt.

Unexpectedly, Akechi bolts up and starts to run to the door. He hits his foot against the coffee table, stumbling for a moment. Unfortunately for him, Ryuji is faster and pins him down to the ground. He squirms under his grip, a complete 180 from his calm demeanor earlier. Haru only stands there with the phone in her hands as the chaos fully gets under way. 

"Are we gonna have to tie him down?" Ann panics, "We can't just let him go right? What if he tries to go into his palace?"

"I might have some zip ties from the cultural festival stashed in my closet." Makoto runs out of the living room, away from the scene unfolding. Akira rushes over to help Ryuji keep Akechi down. 

"Let me go!" Akechi growls. 

Ryuji keeps his face as far back as he possibly can from Akechi's shouts. Despite the struggle, his grip never falters. Haru knows that whole Akechi's may be stronger in the metaverse, but Ryuji is stronger in reality. 

"Shit we can't use any of these chairs," Futaba exclaims. She eyes the dining room chairs, "Sorry Haru!" 

The chair screeches as Futaba drags it across the ground. While the chairs in the circle are closer, they would never work to keep Akechi tied down.

Makoto returns with long zip ties, and Akechi is carefully forced to sit on the wooden chair. Yusuke and Ann assist with strapping him to the seat. Aside from the blindfold, it's a similar set up to the night prior. 

“That was...unexpected.” Haru finally speaks. She wasn't expecting it to escalate this quickly. Still frozen where she stands, she feels an odd comfort in having found the first palace already. There's no awkward tension putting names into phones and waiting to get a hit. 

Although, is his distortion limited to what he felt in reality, or are there additional hurdles now? Still, it doesn’t feel good to see him so frenetic, practically foaming at the mouth. 

“This is really depressing.” Makoto whispers, loud enough for Haru to hear. 

“Let me go, NOW!” Akechi shouts. Futaba slips right behind him, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He continues to struggle, but when he sees his phone gone, his eyes grow wide. “Give that back now.” He snarls, sounding more like an animal with every statement. She hands the phone to Akira, who puts it in his own pocket for now. 

"Look, this is a shitty situation but we can't risk you going into the palace." Akira admits, "Especially when you lost your cool this fast." 

Akechi stays still for a moment, his eyes far away from her home. Where is he going mentally? Is it zoning out or something more? Unfortunately, she doesn't find out when he begins to struggle again. 

"Well I don't need a bunch of shit heads like you getting in the way." Akechi says. His voice is so similar to the one she heard in Shido's palace. It's desperate, but it doesn't feel quite like it belongs to him. 

"Unfortunately there's no telling what you'll do in the metaverse. We don't know if you can influence your own palace or not." Yusuke calmly adds. 

Akechi grumbles, throwing his head back. He stays silent with his eyes shut. 

Lucky for them, Haru knows finding keywords is likely easier than ever. They all know each other fairly well (aside from Yoshizawa, unfortunately), so finding keywords is a simple fix. 

“Thinking of distortions, Akechi likes attention. He always seems to be looking to be in the spotlight, even if the press is negative.” Akira thinks aloud, looking around at his team to add comments on it. 

“Yeah… Even when people were against him, he ate up the attention.” Ann adds, “He still did interviews on tv when he was at the top of the ranking chart on the Phan site.” 

“The television station would make sense as a location,” Makoto says, turning to Haru. Haru pulls out her phone, putting in the television station as a location. It accepts the location, now asking for a distortion. 

“What would the television station be distorted into? There aren’t many places where people can be the center of attention that way.” Yusuke ponders. 

“What about a theater? Akira said the spotlight, and when a show is on, he could see himself as the center of attention.” Futaba offers, walking up to look directly at Haru’s phone. Haru types in theater as the distortion, and it accepts all three terms. With all the information they need to enter Akechi’s palace, they can go to the television station anytime they want.

Then again, Akechi is wildly unpredictable. 

“It’s going to be difficult to talk about how to proceed with Akechi continuing to yell." Akira notes, "It's bad enough we openly talked about the keywords in front of him. Haru, do you have a spare room we could keep him in, at least for now?” 

"There's a spare guest room. However I wouldn't feel comfortable if we untied him." Haru admits. Honestly, she doesn't want him in her home period. But with her home already becoming the Phantom Thieves' hideout, she wants to remain hospitable. 

"I guess we can lift him to the room." Ryuji shrugs, "Where to?

"I'll show you." Haru waves over. Ryuji and Akira lift up Akechi. She refuses to watch the noise of scuffling behind her. Leading them to a room at the end of the hall, she pushes the door open. 

It's a basic room, identical to the one Makoto originally had when she first moved in. Akechi's chair almost falls onto the floor. Haru nervously keeps her distance, lingering at the doorway. At the end of the bed, his chair is a few feet away from her. However, he keeps his eyes on her. She's not sure if he's looking at her, or past her. Stepping to the side, she lets the boys through before shutting the door again. 

"What are we gonna do about him being kinda crazy?" Ryuji whispers outside the door. 

"I can still hear your stupidity." Akechi yells from the room. 

"Let's go back with the others." Akira says.

Returning, everyone is back in their seats. It's as if nothing happened moments ago. She settles back into her seat and tries not to feel overwhelmed. 

"How is he?" Ann asks. 

"Uh, hopefully not trying to tear the room apart." Ryuji says. 

"So we need to determine how we proceed from here." Makoto starts the conversation. "I think we should go in tomorrow and take advantage of the winter break. Once school starts we'll lose some time." 

Futaba holds up her hands, "Whoa, hold up. You wanna go to school when we have basically two months to do seven palaces? We barely can do two in a month!" 

"Well what do you suggest?" 

"Uh, no school? You guys are gonna burn out if you go to school and do all these palaces." 

Makoto leans back into her chair, pulling one of the couch pillows to her chest. Haru knows Makoto's escape is school. But at the same time, Futaba's point is valid as well. She thoughtfully holds her finger to her chin, wondering if there's any alternative. 

"Well, we could plow through these palaces, but we’d all burn out pretty quickly." Akira clears his throat, "I get a feeling this might not be a unanimous vote at first, so does anyone else want to make a case for either side?" 

Haru chimes in with her own idea, "We could try going to school for now, and if it becomes too much, well… we could take some time off." 

"I wonder how much this reality impacts the true one. As in, if we go to school in this reality, does time progress the same way?" Yusuke addresses. Hm, she hadn't thought it that way. If time isn't progressing here, then going to school would mean nothing. 

"The issue of not knowing makes me think we should use Haru's idea." Akira states, "Let's all go to school for now, and if we get overwhelmed and burn out, we'll step away." 

Makoto sighs, “I know you’re right, but it doesn’t make it any easier. If we do have to miss days, I expect everyone to study to make up for it later on." 

One by one, the rest of the group agrees. Haru finally notices Yoshizawa's general silence. She's within the circle, but her eyes rotate to whoever is speaking at the time. She's eager, but hasn't said anything since they started talking about the metaverse. 

"Sounds like we all agree then. Okay, next thing. Is everyone okay where they are? I know there's some weird changes, so if anyone wants to stay somewhere else we should figure it out now," Akira says. 

“Honestly,” Ryuji says, his body slouching forward, “Without my Ma home, there’s really no point in me staying there. Can I crash with anyone?"

“Why don’t you stay with us?” Haru excitedly offers. After everything, she's more than happy to offer a place for him to stay. It would also be nice for Makoto to have Ryuji close by, even if she may have to have an awkward conversation about sexual noise levels... either way, it would be fine. 

“Yeah, we have the extra room you could use.” Makoto adds. 

"That's a nice way of saying the other side of your bed." Futaba teases, sticking her tongue out with a devilish grin. Makoto turns bright red, but Ryuji only laughs at the situation. 

"You can bother them later," Akira says with a slight laugh, "Anyone else?" 

Yoshizawa keeps her eyes downcast. It's like she's trying to have the seat swallow her, but it's not working. Haru wants to pry, but it must be strange enough for her already. If she was overwhelmed by everything, she couldn't imagine what was running through Yoshizawa's brain. 

"I’ll be fine at home.” Yoshizawa clearly lies through the smile she places on her face. It seems believable, but Haru sees through it. It's the first and only thing she says in the entire discussion. 

"Uh, okay." Akira looks at her. It's a knowing look, as if he's trying to tell her something without speaking aloud. It fades quickly, likely something hidden behind private conversations, "Anyway, we have to figure out what to do with Akechi. I don't know about you guys, but I don't trust him to stay out right now. I hate suggesting this, but I think one of us should stay behind on the first trip until we figure out how to deal with him better."

"Yeah, I don't know if I really trust those zip ties completely." Ann shivers, "Although, I'll say right now I don't want to be that person." 

"I'll do it." Haru volunteers. She doesn't need to think twice about this, "Especially since I assume the next topic is asking for him to stay in the room until further notice. I may as well become accustomed to the changes." 

In a way, Haru is convincing herself at the same time. It's another step to becoming more comfortable with him. One that, while concerning, may help bridge a gap to work well in the metaverse. 

"Er - " Akira winces, "Yeah, if that's okay with you and Makoto."

She looks at her brunette friend. Makoto raises an skeptical eyebrow, asking if she was okay with it. Haru initially tilts her head back and forth before fully nodding. 

"Yeah, it's fine." Makoto answers for them. 

"I have a question. Will he be fine in the chair?" Yusuke asks. 

“If he falls, it just gives him less to work with.” Makoto shrugs, noting the stability of the chair. “He won’t break it or get through the binding if that’s what you’re worried about. If anything, we could always redo the binding before we go in.” 

"You two, well three with Ryuji, might have to figure a schedule to watch him at other times." Akira says. Unfortunately him staying here means a 24-hour watch. It means escorting him to the bathroom, ensuring he's fed and hydrated, checking the ties so his doesn't hurt himself… the list goes on. 

It won't be forever, and she knows she'll have to remind herself of this fact. Looking down at her hands on her lap, she already has some regrets in volunteering for the initial shift into the palace. 

"Yeah, we'll figure that shit out." Ryuji nods. 

“Okay, so tomorrow at noon, everyone be at the television station so we can start.” Akira concludes. 

“May I offer a suggestion? Since we're unsure of this world and it's rules, should we move our hideout here until further notice? It'll help us keep away from everyone” Makoto notes. 

"I don't see why not. Anyone against it?" Akira says, and as expected, no one suggests otherwise, "Okay then, take it easy tonight everyone because we’re back to work tomorrow.” Akira says. 

The group splits up for the day. Makoto and Ryuji go to her room to coordinate the move, while Yusuke, Ann, and Akira are the first batch to leave. Futaba and Yoshizawa assist with bringing the dishes over the kitchen, making Haru's life easier. Although looking at Yoshizawa, she bites her lip and her eyes are glassy. 

"Are you alright, Yoshizawa?" Haru asks. 

"Oh! Um, well, I'm still a little overwhelmed by everything. Morgana and Akira explained it briefly before, but I'll admit I'm still lost." Yoshizawa admits, "And well, I'm alone at home. It feels strange to have a big space for myself." 

"You can stay with us if you'd like," Haru smiles. Futaba sets her plates down, and hip bumps Haru out of the way to stand in front of Yoshizawa. 

"Or you can stay with me! Sojiro would just have to deal with it." Futaba snickers. 

Yoshizawa closes her eyes and smiles, "I appreciate both of your kind offers." Her eyes open, "However I'm going to try and stay at home for now." 

"It's not because of Akira is it? That you're not staying with me?" Futaba whispers seriously. Haru hopes it's not, "Like he's not treating you like shit or - "

Yoshizawa's eyebrows come up in surprise. She shakes her head back and forth quickly, "N-no! We're okay! I simply don't want to intrude, and I do truthfully want to try living home alone first."

“Let us know if you change your mind," Haru grins, "We'll be happy to work through it with you." 

"Oh - well, thank you I appreciate it." Yoshizawa nods. Futaba sighs, a slight pout of her lips. Her fingers fidget with the pocket seams of her hoodie. "Is everything alright, Sakura-chan?" 

"Can we call you by your name?" Futaba blurts out.

"Oh, of course! I’m happy for you to call me Kasumi," Yoshizawa agrees. 

Futaba snaps her fingers and gives a thumbs up, "Cool, but I’m gonna give you a nickname. You like Sumi?”

“Oh! Well, that’s alright.” She awkwardly smiles. “That includes you as well, Okumura. Feel free to call me by my first name as well." Yoshizawa adds.

"Of course, I'll follow Futaba's lead and call you Sumi as well. Feel free to call me Haru as well." Haru wipes down a few dishes, "Do you want the others to call you by your first name as well?"

She contemplates it for a moment, "I would like to think so." 

"Okay cool," Futaba whips out her phone, "I'm gonna tell everyone to call you Sumi now." 

"Futaba, while I have you, would you be willing to answer some of my questions about the metaverse?" Sumi cocks her head to the side as she asks. Futaba responds with a grasp to Sumi's elbow and a drag towards the coat rack. 

*Yeah, and we're gonna get Akira involved for forgetting to give you a run down of it. You're coming over!" Futaba jumps in place as she shoves the boots onto her feet, nearly stumbling and falling to the floor. 

Haru quietly laughs before she dedicates the moment to cleaning the dishes. They'll likely leave in a few minutes or so, and her home will be quiet again. She knows this is the early calm before the storm. It's a night of quiet, but tomorrow? She'll watch Akechi alone, in hopes of keeping him at bay. 

In a strange way, she's looking forward to it. At the same time, the idea terrifies her. 

\--

"Okay I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I forgot she didn't know anything!" Akira groans as Futaba pinches his arm. Kasumi laughs as she watches them bicker. "In my defense the whole reality-thing threw me off."

"I think that's enough, Futaba." Kasumi taps Futaba's shoulder. It's nice seeing the two of them interact; it made her transition a little easier. She knows if she's going to befriend anyone, Futaba is a great place to start!

She lets go of Akira's arm. He pulls back to his arm, rubbing it with his other hand and stands back behind the counter. With Sojiro out and no customers wandering inside, she felt calmer about speaking of Mementos here. 

"Before I forget, Futaba." Akira moves his apron to the side and pulls out a smartphone with a plain black case, "Do you mind holding onto Akechi's phone?"

"Uh, why?" Futaba furrows her brows, "You don't wanna hold onto it?" 

"So…" Akira trails off for a moment, "If we are doing the whole palace thing, I'm pretty sure you're in the clear. I'll bring it up again tomorrow, but I think you should be the one to keep it." 

"That's what Haru was referring to!" Kasumi gasps.

"Oh, whoops, right," Futaba laughs awkwardly. She looks down at her hands. Her face looks as if she's thinking back to an old memory, "Uh, long story short yeah, the Phantom Thieves saved me. But I think that's a story for another time." 

She never would've thought Futaba would have a palace! Although, from the little she knew so far, it must have been a difficult experience for her. Considering she's going to tell her later, she might not feel comfortable talking about it. 

"That's okay, we can talk about that whenever you're ready, Futaba." Kasumi says. Futaba slaps her hands on the table, getting herself out of the sad funk she was just lingering in. 

"Okay so Sumi! I think we should start with some basics. What do you want?" Futaba questions. That's one way to recover from a stressful moment! Hm, thinking back there's the general metaverse, personas, the Phantom Thieves being multiple events… 

"Well, I don't entirely understand how the Phantom Thieves work. You go into a 'palace' and you go through it until you find something?" Kasumi tilts her head. 

"Yeah, exactly. We go until we find the treasure. They're pretty straightforward and there's always some kind of map to get us to it. After that, we send a calling card to basically scare the palace ruler into thinking their treasure is gonna be stolen and bam! It appears inside the palace!" Futaba excitedly jumps in her seat at the end. 

The smell of coffee fills the cafe as Akira sets two cups in front of them. She keeps her hands in front of her for now. Odds are it's too hot for her to drink! It'll cool down soon. Futaba, on the other hand, takes a long sip from the beginning. 

"That makes sense. And that's what we're doing with Akechi, correct?" 

Akira nods, "Yeah, I don't know what to expect honestly. We've never been in the palace of a persona user. I have a feeling they don't follow the same rules." 

"Yeah, it might not be super straight forward." Futaba sighs. She sets her elbows on the counter with a light thud and rests her cheeks in her palms. "But we won't know until we get there." 

"Oh okay, I understand." Kasumi smiles. 

Akira perks up, "Hey, you still need a codename. It's what we call ourselves in the metaverse. I'm Joker -" 

"And I'm Oracle!" Futaba points to herself, "Some names are literal, others not so much. Like Ryuji is Skull and he's got a skull mask, but Makoto is Queen." 

A codename? She never thought about it before. She assumed they called themselves by their name inside. Oh well, she can adapt to this for sure, and it sounds like fun too. Her outfit isn't as literal as Skull's mask. 

"I don't know, do you have any suggestions, Akira? You're the only one who's been in the metaverse with me before." Kasumi looks at him with stars in her eyes. Akira always has the best ideas, so he certainly would think of something for her. He moves his lips in a straight line and taps his right foot. 

"How about Violet?" Akira suggests. 

Violet, like her sister's name in English. Kasumi excitedly twirls her ponytail and flashes a bright smile. It's a great way to honor Sumire!

"I love it, yes!" Kasumi cheers. "You can call me Violet." 

"Hey, that's a cool name. Now you can officially be a Phantom Thief." Futaba says. A Phantom Thief. Kasumi thought she'd never see the day after the initial rejection after the palace. 

"Thank you for the warm welcome. Everyone has been very kind to me so far. I was quiet in the first meeting but I promise I'll speak up in the future!" 

And she means every word.


	3. Two of Wands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **UPRIGHT: planning, first steps, making decisions**  
>  REVERSED: bad planning, overanalyzing, not taking action, playing it safe, avoiding risk

The next day, the team meets right outside the television station. Makoto looks up at the tall grand building. It’s been awhile since she was here, but it feels like yesterday that she and Haru were getting information from Akechi. How he’s changed in a matter of days... Although, dealing with him was surprisingly easy. Between her, Haru and Ryuji, the night and morning after were smooth. No one was ever alone with him. So if he’s planning on breaking free, then he’s likely waiting for someone to make a mistake and go in alone. 

The implications of it all makes her stomach churn. The fact that they couldn’t trust him to be alone, not because he might kill them but because of his palace is unsettling. She’s not sure how the rest of them will react, but if his instinct is to run, what would it be for the others? 

“So uh, can we go in? His theater’s gotta be all weird lookin’ right?” Ryuji asks Akira, who’s tapping away on his phone. His statement pulls her out of her train of thought. 

Akira taps on his phone, and the world changes around them.

.

..

...

Queen looks up at a grand theater in the same spot as the television station. It wasn’t as tall as the building in reality, but the style is just as grandiose. A grand staircase awaits them, leading up to the sparkling white building. The front is entirely made of glass, showing yellow lights inside. On the top, there's a large arch with stained red and black stained glass. Hanging along hooks in the front is a large banner. ‘Tokyo presents: The Life and Death of Goro Akechi’. 

In front of the doors stood multiple security guards and eager guests slowly making their way inside. If the guards notice them, they choose to ignore them in favor of controlling the crowd. 

Queen walks over to the side of cement walls at the very base of the stairs. There's some posters for the show inside the theater. It shows Akechi as a hero, bright and happy at the center of the poster. With Robin Hood to his left and Loki to his right, it reminds her of a superhero poster. Scattered along the upper third of the poster are silhouettes of the Phantom Thieves. She can pinpoint who is who based on their various outfits, such as Panther’s twin tails and Noir’s hat. They're portrayed as criminals on here, which doesn't entirely surprise her. 

“He’s so full of him,” Panther mumbles under breath, now looking at the poster as well. She speaks up, “But it does make sense for him to treat us like villains here.”

“It really makes you wonder what we’re going to see in the palace.” Fox notes as well. Joker walks up to the poster, gently ripping it off the wall. “Why did you remove it?”

Joker folds it and puts it in his coat pocket. "Might come in handy. I want to ask him about it. I get a feeling us being on the top isn't a coincidence." 

The Phantom Thieves move up the stairs, passing by the line on their way. At the top of the stairs, two security guards near the ticket booth eye them. They move towards them, everyone preparing their masks to unleash their personas. Joker holds his hand up, telling the team to stand down for now. 

“Why aren’t you backstage?” One security guard asks them. Queen steps up next to Joker, quickly realizing Joker’s plan. The Phantoms Thieves aren't only characters in his show - they are the actors. If the palace is based in attention, it makes sense to incorporate the Phantom Thieves' full attention on the palace ruler from the start. 

“I apologize for our lateness, can one of you escort us back there?” Queen asks the guard. One of them holds the door open, while the other walks in front of them. 

When they enter, the theater is entirely modern. The ceilings are high with chandeliers, but the dark brown and white accents everywhere give off a clean and sleek look. There's gold accents on anything or lightly detailed. 

However, they're not taken through the elaborate entrance. Instead, the security guard opens a side door and guides them through a much darker gray hallway. The further they go down, the more Queen feels a change in the cognition. It’s clear they pass by a safe room on their way to the room, something she notes for later.

They’re taken into a large dressing room. It’s a simple set up, with clothing racks near the door and tall, full length mirrors along two walls. In front of the mirrors are tables and several chairs, each with their names written on a small card. They all step into the room, and the security guard closes the door, locking them inside the room with him. 

“Lord Akechi made it clear that you were brought into the dressing room prior to the show, we are to execute you on sight.” The security guard reveals its true form, turning into a large snake with multiple heads. Its purple skin appeared to be rotting, fangs drenched and dripping in a black substance. Joker is the first to summon his persona. He uses Maeigaon first, but it hardly impacts the shadow, leading the rest of the main team to hop in. 

Queen, Skull and Fox are quick to the starting line up, dodging the psychic attack the shadow unleashes. Queen knows it's her weakness, but she’s able to evade it as well. She’s the next to attack, her nuclear attack reflecting back at her. With that, Joker gestures to her to move back in exchange for Panther, who’s quick to use a fire attack on the same shadow. Thankfully, the shadow shows a weakness to fire, being knocked down already. The four move up to perform an all-out attack, but barely phase the shadow. 

While watching from the back, Queen watches Violet continue to take in the situation.

"You okay?" Queen asks her. "I know you're still new at this."

"Oh, yes thank you!" Violet says, "I'm simply observing so I can learn from the rest of you." 

"Okay, and don't worry, we'll find a safe room after this." 

"Futaba - um, Oracle explained that to me yesterday!" Violet beams. At least she's caught up now, and with Oracle behind it, Queen knows she's up to speed. 

Queen nods. “Yes, I think we'll head there after this. We need to figure out what Akechi is planning here, and since they think we’re actors, it may mean going on stage.” 

“You don’t believe they’ll really make us go on stage, will they?” Queen shrugs, unsure herself. Before she can respond, Panther deals a final blow, destroying the shadow for good. Skull reaches for the door, but it opens before he can even grab the doorknob. A lean figure steps in, filling in the doorframe. Queen sighs, “Change of plans…” 

Shadow Akechi stands before them, a devilish smile sown onto his face. His now-golden eyes shine through a black mask. It covers half his face, but the same smile continues on it. He wears a long cape with the same black and purple striped pattern as his outfit when he went berserk. It covers his shoulders, his shirt is dark gray and tucks into black slacks. He wears gloves, appearing to have claws at the ends of his fingers. All in all, he seems too eager to see them. 

“About time you all arrived. Glad to see you've practiced your lines."At least a dozen shadows appear behind Shadow Akechi. “I recommend you don’t attempt to run. We can’t perform without each of our star villains.” 

Joker glares at him, his stance still ready for combat. Queens figures she should’ve seen this coming. Akechi was always trying to be one step ahead, and normally, their team is able to maintain their lead. With this, there's no way to accurately predict what's coming next. This means having to think of new plans on the fly. It isn't necessarily a bad plan, but it also isn't the best approach either. 

“Why are you doing this, Akechi? We can talk this out-” Akira tries to speak, but Akechi holds his hand up to stop him from continuing. 

“No, we really cannot. I want two of you to escort each one. Oh, except for Joker here. Four of you should be on him, he’s a wildcard after all.” Shadow Akechi moves to the side, and the shadows file in.

“Fine, we’ll play along for now.” Joker comments as the four shadows surround him. They’re all taken further down the hall, and the feeling of the safe room drifting further away. They turn into a new hallway, seeing posters of each of them along the way. Each poster shows a different Phantom Thieves as a villain. They look maniacal and insane in their photos, with overly graphic images portraying all of them in a negative light. It disgusts Queen, knowing that while they weren’t on the right side of ‘justice’ all the time, they never mean any malice. 

They’re all shoved into a dark room, the group huddles together in the right quarters. When the lights turn on, it's initially blinding. Queen covers the lights with her hands for a moment, letting his eyes adjust. When they adjust, she feels the floor beneath them rise. When they stop moving, they're at the end of a stage with a full audience before them. 

They’re surrounded on all sides, a theater in the round set up. There are multiple levels to the stage, some of which take place right over the stage. None of the faces are distinguishable, but they all clearly show joy in seeing the Phantom Thieves on stage. The lights dim slightly, a spotlight shining over Shadow Akechi. He stands on top of one of the platforms, his spread arms out. It's clear he's enjoying the thunderous applause. 

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Act One of our show.” He shouts, his voice bouncing off the walls. He walks down the wooden staircase, the light following his every movement. “Tonight, we’ll be starting with the early life of a boy who was never loved…”

\--

Haru initially wants to leave Akechi alone the entire time, but she realizes after they leave that he hasn't been fed. It felt silly to care for him the same way she might a pet, but she can't convince herself to leave him starving. At the very least, she could give him some water to tide him over until the others returned. 

Haru turns on the faucet, grabbing a straw as the cup fills. Plopping it in, she makes the trek to his room. Every step is one foot closer to seeing him without protection. She can do this… it's just water, he'll drink it in less than a minute. 

In the time he's been here, there's been moments where he screams and shouts as if someone is killing him. Other moments, he talks to someone who isn't there. Sometimes, he's even quiet. She doesn't have a full picture of his situation, but whatever is going on is unfortunately a preview. 

When she pushes the door open, she only takes a few steps before the glass in her hand falls to the floor and shatters. The water fits her socks, seeping in and hitting her skin. The seat, the seat he's supposed to be tied, is empty.

"Oh no." Haru whispers. The sound of cracking glass is soft behind her, but she knows what's coming when the door quietly shuts. 

She can't stay still, she has to try and get away. Turning around, she frantically goes to the door. Before she makes it, a hand grabs her wrists and pins her to the door. The whiplash causes the back of her head to bang against the door. She keeps herself in place so she can get a good look at Akechi.

“You’re too passive, you know. You try to act strong and yet you hide behind others." His pupils are dilated, an added golden tone to his normally dark brown eyes. She bites her lip, knowing she needs to ignore his brash statements, but it still hurts nonetheless. “I would’ve thought your father would have raised you better.” 

“I’ve told you once before not to mention my father." Haru whispers to him. Her eyes narrow at his. She can look strong, but inside she's terrified. For a moment, she feels like she's back in Sugimura's grasp. 

“What exactly are you going to do about it, Beauty Thief?" He taunts her. 

"How do you… know that?" Haru stares at him, stunned by such a small moment of her life appearing from the mouth of someone who wasn't there. 

"Kurusu talks too much." A simple explanation. And yet, it's one that causes the gold to disappear from his eyes. They remain dilated, but he lowers her arms down. For a moment, Haru swears he massages her wrists before he pulls away and stands at the other side of the room. He runs his fingers through his hair, moaning about something she can't hear. 

"Is this another episode…?" Haru wonders. He refuses to face her, his back still towards her. She won't walk an inch closer, especially after what happened. 

"I can't control these all the time. All I can do is try and hold onto whatever sanity isn't being taken away from me - I'm not going to tell her!" He bangs his fist against the wall. Who is he talking to? She's seen bits and pieces of his conversations, but never hasn't been this obvious before. 

"What are you trying to avoid telling?" Haru asks. Maybe it'll help him stay present, as himself. She didn't want to be here, but the alternative of closing him inside when he could escape at any moment isn't sitting well with her. 

"Fine, if it'll shut you up for at least a moment," Akechi complains. He finally turns around. His knuckles are white from his fisted hands, breathing heavily over whenever torment he was going through. 

"Akechi?"

Akechi’s eyes glaze over, the angry look on his face shifting to a blank state. Haru isn't sure what's happening to him, but she didn't think it was anything serious until he starts, “My mother was always out with other men…”

\--

Shadows surround the Phantom Thieves, one for each of them. Each shadow looks similar, only having minor differences among hairstyles and clothing. Shadow Akechi talks about his experience growing up alone at home, continuing his descent down the stairs until he stands in between two shadows, hands clasped behind his back. The shadows around them perform as actors, dramatising Shadow Akechi's words. 

“I never liked what any of these men did to my mother.” Shadow Akechi says, whipping his cape up and facing one side of the crowd. “They often abused her, treating her like she was well…” He glances back, looking at Joker. “Like a villain.” He snaps, and the shadows transform. They're all the same lanky shadow with a white glowing ball in their left hands. Smoke surrounds the ball, seemingly based on the different attacks possible. At glance, everyone is in front of the color that corresponded with their weakness. It isn't going to be a fair fight, and Queen knows that. 

“Attack all of them until you find the one with your weakness,” Joker shouts, being the first to unleash his persona, using a curse move. He targets each of them until he sees one of them downed. The others follow suit, downing nearly every single shadow. However, it's clear there was a miscalculation. There are two shadows left, one with yellow smoke and one with light turquoise. 

“Mona and Noir, they’re not here so we can’t bring them down,” Queen says, attempting to attack the turquoise one. It reflects back, and thankfully for her, it blocks the attack. Joker steps back, switching personas until he pulls one out with an electric attack. He’s able to down the yellow smoke, but he lacks a persona with a psychic move. 

“Shit,” He mutters under his breath, “Skull, Fox, switch to physical attacks and prioritize the turquoise one.” 

Shadow Akechi continues to move through the crowd, a symphony matching the intense battle on stage. He lingers down to look at the instruments for a moment before continuing his walk around the stage. The crowd’s energy riles up more as he prances around the edge of the stage. It’s as if he’s dancing around at a concert, with the audience members in the front rows reaching out to touch him. 

He looks down to them, not wanting anyone to touch him. It's clear it's important for him to be wanted and adored, but still distant from those around him. Queen can't help but keep her eyes on him. They may be in a theater, but it's clear this is no play. It's entirely a monologue in itself. 

Shadow Akechi turns his attention back to the Phantom Thieves for a brief moment. Running to the top of the stairs, the lights dim and the spotlight follows him up. By the time he reaches the top, the last shadow is turned to dust, and the crowd explodes. 

“Why...are they cheering?” Fox questions, looking at the standing ovation around them. With the lights continuing to dim around them, their eyes pan up to Shadow Akechi. 

“That’s how they would abuse my mother,” His bolstering voice quiets the audience again, eager to hear what he has to say. “It wasn’t until her death that she finally found peace!” He points to the center of the stage. The thieves step back, watching a woman tied to a stake. She appears like a Salem witch, her body tied to the pole. With the little movement she has, it’s clear she has a match in her hand. 

“We need to move back, now!” Queen shots, the Phantom Thieves following her lead. They all jump down a level, entering the audience. Skull points out a door for them to go through, finally able to escape from their clutches. Queen is the last to see the woman. Wanting to see what happens, she lingers behind. 

She watches her light the match up against her thigh, and drop it to the wood beneath her. It’s quiet for a moment before its voltaire nature is clear. She feels the heat of the fire against her body, her ears fill with the sound of crackling wood and cheers from the audience. Closing the door behind her, she places her forehead and palms against it. 

“She killed herself… it was so sickening to watch.” Queen says simply. She feels a hand on her shoulder. Perking up, she sees Skull there. 

“Come on, they’re waitin' for us up ahead. I think they found a will seed.” 

\--

"Why are you telling me this?" Haru asks after he finishes explaining his childhood. It's clear there are omitted parts he purposely left out, but she's not sure what they are. Still, why would he confess things so personal to him? 

"Don't flatter yourself. And I don't owe any explanation to you." Akechi growls. 

"Oh okay, that's fine.” Haru says. Her voice is more gentle than she wants it to be, but it's enough to rile him up all over again. The gold sliver returns in his eyes, but his nails dig into the wood of the bed. 

"How are you still this weak? You're not even going to try and fight back." Akechi barks back, "Grow a spine, will you?" 

"I…." Haru chokes on her words. She's not weak - if she was, she wouldn't have joined the Phantom Thieves in the first place. But anytime she tries to say something, her body feels cold and her stomach drops. She can't get the words out. 

"You need to leave." He warns. "I don't like any of you but it's not my place to cause unintentional harm." So he wasn't in control of himself when he pinned her to the door. Makoto will definitely have a field day with this information. She can practically hear her scolding him for it, whether he's in control or not. 

"The feelings are mutual." Haru manages to get out, but she immediately regrets it. "I'm sorry." She apologizes as she closes the door and stands back in the hall. However, she decides against going too far from his room. Her feet somehow avoided the broken glass, but her socks are soaked enough for her to slide down the wall and slide them off. Suddenly she hears aggressive banging against the door. 

“You would’ve been better off dying with your mother. You would have spared your father the pain of raising a daughter like you.” He provokes her. His voice is cold, distant in the same regards as when he pinned her down. His taunting hurts, considering he knows nothing about her and their family. But it's not him, and she needs herself to think that because if it's truthfully him…

She stays put, bringing her knees to her chest and trying to hold back the urge to cry. She'll have to stay here for now, because while he's strong enough to avoid unlocking the room from his end, she wants to be strong enough to act as another barrier to leaving her home. But god, the insults stings with a bite she doesn't expect. And it hurts. 

\--

Queen looks at the will seed in her right hand while small conversation occurs in the aftermath of their first trip inside. The will seed was easy to find, but its location was suspicious. Never have they seen three will seed rooms next to each other, locked behind a time-sensitive trigger. 

After some back and forth, the team found the same safe room Queen pointed out earlier. It's similar to the dressing room they were escorted to earlier, but smaller and with clutter scattered around. They haven't seen anything else close to this, making it unclear how truly large this palace was. 

“If Akechi is so keen on being on stage, what’s stopping him from fighting his own battles already?” Queen asks, opening the floor to ideas. Skull speaks up.

“I think he’s just playin’ us.” Skull comments. She places the will seed on the table, watching Skull sit back up from his slouching in his seat. “Think about it, would he really want to fight us now? Dude’s just itching to get some attention.” 

“It would make sense. We also don’t know what he’s planning, or rather, what the cognition is doing at the moment. He’s an experienced user, more so than any of us." Fox adds. 

"I don't understand what his experience would have to do with the palace." Violet ponders, "Would that impact his show?" 

“Wait that makes sense!" Oracle says, looking up from her laptop. She closes it and places the device on her lap. “Didn't he mention something about the first act? Maybe he's spreading it out so we can come back until he's gotten his fill?*

“Meaning we’ll have to leave and come back again for the next act, like he wants us to.” Joker answers, slowly getting out of his seat. Queen know Akechi was cunning, but she's starting to worry about the number of trips this 

Each act would be a new day, and another day closer to running out of time. She hears Joker sigh, and she knows the same thoughts are running through his own head. It's stressful enough already knowing they're forced to play Akechi's game on his terna. It's worse not knowing what lay ahead. 

“Should we go back to Haru’s to update her on what’s happening?” Violet asks. 

"Queen and Skull can update her, I don't see a reason for everyone to return for now." Joker answers. The two of them nod, "Would anyone be open to volunteering to watch Akechi next? I don't really want Haru to have to sit out the entire palace."

"I'll do it," Fox volunteers. 

He nods. “Thanks Fox." Oracle pats his shoulder, as if to tell him he's in for an adventure. She trusts Fox with Akechi alone, but it's still going to be an experience for him.

"Anything else before we go, Joker?" Panther asks.

“Actually, yeah." Akira hesitates for a moment, “We’ve never known the future, but we always knew we could trust each other. We don’t really have that luxury anymore…” When he drops the ball, everyone’s demeanor changes. 

"Why bring this up?" Violet quietly asks. Queen knows the answer, but seeing everyone's depressed faces makes her wish she knew nothing. It's clear everyone is thinking the same thing: trust. Joker gestures to Oracle. Her mouth pops into a small O.

"Right, so I have Akechi's phone now. Joker thinks I'm safe because I've had a palace before." Oracle says, "Basically, if you guys are worried about something trust me." 

Trust. She doesn't want to think she can't trust her friends. A palace doesn't mean they immediately leave them and become cruel human beings. Sure, Akechi is clearly insane right, but that doesn't mean the others will be as well… Right?

"And that's really it." Joker bites his lip, “That’s really it. I know we’re all tired from today. We have some time, how about we take tomorrow off and come back again the day after? We have an idea what to expect next visit so we don't have to do any serious planning."

The team agrees unanimously. Queen decides she doesn't want to think about potential fall outs for now. 

The group is able to walk through the theater without seeing another soul. It’s almost creepy to Queen how quiet everything is between the acts. There's no shadows or cognitions scuttling around. His palace lacking shadows outside of his control is startling. 

However, Akechi’s bizarre palace isn’t really what was on her mind right now. She worries for Haru, especially with her distaste of Akechi. Hopefully everything went smoothly, and they wouldn't have to worry about potentially leaving him alone. 

…

..

.

Makoto stays quiet on the train ride back, half listening to conversations around her. With Ryuji at her side, they hold hands and sit in the only two open seats. It's comforting to have him so close now. Although, she wasn't looking forward to the inevitable jokes and jabs from Futaba and Ann. 

When they arrive at the building and make it to the top floor, the sound of shouting becomes prominent. Makoto and Ryuji look at each other, the two rushing to the door. Makoto pulls out her keys and pushes it open. 

Before her is Akechi and Haru in the living room. They're a few feet apart, but the two are screaming as if they're in each other's faces. 

"I don't understand why you're continuing to scream at me! If you're so keen on keeping us safe, you should continue to hide yourself in the room until the others come back!" Haru shouts. 

Akechi flies off the handle as he screeches back, "If I could fully control whatever the fuck is going on with me, I would." 

"What is goin' on?" Ryuji interrupts. The two lol at him, baffled in their own rights. Haru holds her arms close to her chest, shaking back and forth. Akechi, on the other hand, runs back down the hall. Makoto briefly watches as Ryuji bolts to pin Akechi down. 

"Did he do anything to you?" Makoto gently holds Haru's arms. She's shaken up, her eyes looking everywhere except for Makoto's face. Haru hardly raises her voice, and the few times she's seen it… well, the track record so far is they almost always involve Akechi. 

"Let go of me, I'm trying to go back, you idiot!" Akechi screams from the ground. Shoving his knee into Ryuji's to the side, he's forced onto his back. Akechi stomps away, until they fade away and end in a door slamming. 

Haru throws her head back when she lets out a heavy sigh, "I… need to go." Haru pulls away from Makoto's grip and walks with her down. What… just happened? There's too much for her to fully comprehend, but with no context she's absolutely stuck. 

“Why is he so against Haru?” Ryuji asks. “It’s almost like he’s got it out for her, remember yesterday? They looked like they would’ve killed each other.” 

“Yeah, I’m wondering the same thing,” Makoto agrees. "I guess he's in control enough to go back in on his own free will, but how did he break free from the ties in the first place?" 

Ryuji shrugs, holding onto his stomach as he sits back up, "I dunno. Dude's still pretty strong. We should find some other way to lock him in there." 

"We can leave him be for now, and then tie him back up before we go to bed. Perhaps jam something under the door knob so it doesn't open from his side?" Makoto thinks aloud. It's not the best list of ideas, but unfortunately it's all she can work with for now. 

"Text the group - " Ryuji groans, his feet awkwardly stepping on the ground as he comes back up, "Damn he looks like a goddamn twig but he knows how to move people around." 

"You okay? Let me get you an ice pack just in case." Makoto reaches into the freezer and tosses him the ice pack. He lets it rest on his shoulders while she pulls out her phone.

Makoto: So Akechi managed to free himself. He got into an argument with Haru, but she's safe.   
Ann: Ugh, what a jerk!  
Yusuke: Well that's unfortunate. He hasn't tried to escape has he?  
Makoto: No, something tells me it was a one time thing. A fight or flight response and in that moment, it was fight before flight.   
Futaba: Yeaaah he always gave me fight vibes.   
Akira: Anyway, you guys gonna be okay?   
Makoto: I think so. Although if anyone wants to volunteer to help tomorrow, I think the three of us here would appreciate it.   
Akira: I'll do it, I've been wanting to talk to him.   
Sumi: Will you be alright, Senpai?  
Ann: This is Akira we're talking about. He'll be fine. 

"Akira to the rescue." Ryuji lightly laughs, now leaning against the counter, "I'm gonna wake up with a nasty bruise tomorrow." 

"You'll be okay." Makoto kisses him on the cheek, "Keep the ice pack on, and take a painkiller. There's some in the bathroom cabinet. Otherwise it will turn into a full bruise." 

"What are you gonna do?" Ryuji asks. 

Makoto takes a deep breath, "I'm gonna check on Haru."

Ryuji's face drops, "Shit, ya think she's okay?" 

"I don't know, I hope so." Makoto says sadly. Walking away from the kitchen, she goes right to Haru's room. Hopefully, Haru is okay and just needed the time away from everyone. 

She knocks on Haru’s door. When she hears Haru call her in, she steps inside. Haru is sitting on her armchair, looking out the window. She keeps her eyes out the window, as if she didn't hear Makoto come in. 

“Hey Haru, are you okay?" Makoto is gentle, knowing her friend has had a long day. There's a soft cry from the chair, with sniffling held back. When Makoto walks over and sees her face, it’s clear she’s been crying. “Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“It’s okay, Mako-chan.” Haru’s voice is quiet, like she’s worried about waking someone up. She wipes the last of her tears away, taking deep breaths to fix her voice. “It’s nothing, I'm a little emotional from earlier." 

"I wanted to talk to you about Akechi's palace and your experience here, if you're okay." Makoto places her hand on the armrest of the chair. She notices Haru shift herself an inch away from it. Did she move because of her? 

"I can talk to you about Akechi first." Haru continues to look out the window, "I went to bring him water, but he wasn't tied to the chair. Next thing I knew I was pinned to the door." 

"I'm gonna kill him." Makoto feels the anger boiling in her chest. Haru taps Makoto's hand, her soft but cold skin surprising her. 

"There's something about him that's off. The person he's talking to is real to him, and it's causing him to lose control of himself. He backed away from me not long after and explained his childhood to me." 

She learned about his childhood? That's the same thing they saw in the palace. There may be a connection to what happened with Haru and the performance in the palace. But right now isn't the time to make connections - she needs to listen to Haru. 

"What else happened?" 

"He snapped at me, and I left right after. It was quiet for a while until he came storming out of the room. It didn't look like him, and the way he yelled at me isn't the same as we saw in Shido's palace." 

Makoto would argue otherwise, but she might've missed key points from their argument earlier. Whatever they talked about before shook Haru up enough to hide in her room and cry. 

"I see." Makoto says through her teeth, holding back the negative emotions she has toward Akechi. "I'm glad you're safe now." 

"I hate him." Haru mutters under her breath. It's not like Haru to make such bold claims. Whatever happened, it cut her. Deep. 

"What did you say?" Makoto plays dumb, anticipating Haru to speak up. 

Instead, Haru says, "Can you update me about the palace later? I need time to myself." 

Haru hasn't looked at her directly from the moment she came home. It's like she was hiding something in her eyes, something she didn't want Makoto seeing. 

With a sad face, Makoto knows all she can do is walk away for now. She closes Haru's door with a soft click, and hopes her emotional state doesn't last long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if it wasn't clear, chapters are named after tarot cards, minor arcana included. If I used only the major arcana I would've run out maybe a third into the story. 
> 
> Have a good week everyone :)


	4. Eight of Pentacles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **UPRIGHT: expertise, commitment, dedication, accomplishment**  
>  REVERSED: rushed job, bad reputation, lack of motivation, mediocrity, laziness

Something about Akechi keeps bothering Akira. It leaves him tossing and turning in his bed. It could have been from the cold seeping in through the thin walls, but he prefers to blame it on Akechi. If he could just figure out what it was, maybe he could sleep well at night. 

It was late when he texted Makoto, confirming his arrival early tomorrow morning. He was surprised by how fast she responded as well, but it was a win for him. Sleep comes for him after he gets the confirmation. So when he wakes up the next morning, he's quick to dress and quicker to leave. 

It's a fairly far trip for him, but waking up early enough ensures he’d miss the morning rush. In between trains, he passes by a small bakery to pick up some treats as thanks. Hopping back on, he goes through the different questions in his mind. Why is he alive, and how is this palace truly impacting his mental state? Everyone was quick to dismiss Akechi to just deal with the palace, himself included. But if he can figure out what was going through his brain, maybe it can help with everyone else when their turn came. 

Or unfortunately, if he develops his own palace. 

“Akira? You’re here early.” 

“Huh?” Akira blinks, standing in front of a tired Makoto. In his stream of thought, he hadn’t realized he was already at Haru’s. He clears his throat, “I brought this as a thanks, for letting me come over so early.” 

“Oh, thank you. I’m sure Ryuji and Haru will devour these when they wake up.” Makoto laughs, walking over to place the box on the counter. She grabs a cup, pouring in hot tea. Akira sits on the barstool, watching Makoto work. He knows it's early, but he's still surprised to see Makoto up before Haru. Haru was an early riser, remembering her texts sometimes coming in as early as 5am. 

“Is Haru up yet?” Akira asks. Makoto passes him the hot tea. Taking off his gloves, his hands go from one warm place to the next. 

“I’m not sure, she hasn’t come out of her room. But before I went to bed, I let her and Ryuji know about you coming in early. I’ll admit I’m a little worried about you talking to him…” Makoto crosses her arms. "Akechi and Haru seemed to have a nasty argument while we were in the palace yesterday." 

"Right, how did you guys deal with him being untied?" Akira takes a sip of the tea. 

Makoto sucks in air between her teeth, "Somehow we got him to agree to be tied up to the bed, and then we jammed a chair under the door knob just in case. When we went back this morning, he had already managed to free himself but he wasn't particularly aggressive."

"Heh," Akira laughs to himself, "I thought you saved the tying up for Ryuji." 

Makoto turns bright red and holds her hands to her cheeks to hide the color in her face. 

"S-shut up! That's not the point of this!" Makoto stammers. 

"I'm kidding, obviously." He's not entirely kidding, but he's going to try and give her leave of mind. "But honestly thanks for letting me come early. I want to see how much I can get out of him so we can prepare for everyone else.” 

“It's admirable that you're putting in this effort,” Makoto leans against the counter, her left hand running through her short brown hair. “Honestly, I’m considering the same approach. I don’t know enough yet to prepare questions yet. Although I’ll admit I’m worried about you going in alone.”

Akira nods his head. “I want to show him I trust him, even if it means having to go at it alone. I really think deep down, he’s trying to learn from his mistakes. We just need to get him there by guiding his real self through the palace."

At least, that’s what Akira hopes for. After all, it would be nice to have Akechi part of the group, even if he knows it won’t be amicable all the time. From the look on Makoto’s face, he knows she’ll be part of the group, and he’d never blame her for it. 

“Alright, just let us know if something comes up.” She keeps her eyes downcast, mildly disappointed with that simple statement. She flips her mood back around, “Ryuji and I are going out today, and I'm not sure if Haru is tagging along. I think she slept late last night." 

Haru sleeping late? The same girl who once told him that staying out past ten was way too late?

"Haru sleeping late? That's a weird change." Akira notes. Makoto shifts from foot to foot, "What happened in the argument that screwed her up this bad?" 

"I don't know. She wouldn't tell me the details. I have a feeling we'll have a better idea after you speak to Akechi and Yusuke stays with him tomorrow." Makoto says confidently at the end. 

"I hope so, I wish we could help her." Akira grabs the box of sweets, pulling a small one out for himself, "This might be the best I can do for now."

"It's alright, I think she's going to feel better today." Makoto hopes. She's smiling in her lips, but there's no hint of happiness in her eyes. She's lying, or at the very least unsure. It's a stressful time for everyone, and everyone is handling it differently. Maybe Haru just needs more time to adjust to the change. 

"Anyway…" Akira clears his throat and brings the conversation back, "Yeah, I'll text you guys if anything comes up. But for now, how about we give Ryuji a little wake up call?” Akira smiles, “He did constantly wake me up early over the summer to hang out.” 

Makoto and Akira go over to her room, peeking her head into the room. Looking above her head, he sees a shirtless Ryuji with his arm falling off of one end of the bed and the other off to the side where he assumes Makoto sleeps. Tiptoeing to the edge of his bed, she takes a small cushion from the armchair at the foot of his bed, and hands it to Akira. With all his strength, he throws it right to Ryuji's stomach 

“Ah what the eff!” He shouts, sitting up and grabbing his side. Makoto gasps and jumps onto the bed. With the blanket off to the side, he sees a bruise on the side of Ryuji's stomach. 

"Oh shit." Akira mutters. 

"I forgot to mention that Ryuji was thrown to the side by Akechi yesterday when he tried to pin him down. Ryuji I'm so sorry." Makoto quickly says, her hands fumbling around his upper body. Ryuji winks at Akira, before grabbing the same blanket and tossing it on top of Makoto. 

"Run run!" Ryuji laughs as he bounces out of bed. Akira follows his lead, not sure what the heck is going on. When Ryuji laughs outside the door, he holds onto the bruise. 

"Did Akechi really do that?" Akira says, bending down slightly to get a better look. 

"Oh, yeah. Dude can be strong when he feels like it. You talkin' to him too today right? Good luck, man."

"Ryuji!" Makoto shouts from the room. His eyes open wide as he waves goodbye to Akira. 

"Gotta go, see ya in a minute!" He runs around the corner, and Makoto follows him with record speed. There's bickering in the distance, followed by silence, and short laughter. They're weird together, but at least Akira knows they're clearly happy together. 

Walking back into the kitchen, he sees Ryuji and Makoto digging into the food. 

“We’ll be out of here soon, don’t worry.” Makoto says, wiping her hands with a towel. She grabs Ryuji’s arm, whispering something in his ear. He grabs a few of the treats, stuffing them into a bag Makoto holds out for him. The rest stay in the box in the center of the counter. 

"When Haru wakes up, tell her we're out, k?" Ryuji says. He zips the bag up and grabs it from Makoto. As he walks over to grab his coat and shoes, Makoto leans in close to whisper to Akira. 

“Don't let him out of the room. He's been quiet all morning and I want it to stay that way. Just… be careful, please." Makoto sighs. Akira thinks about everything that led their team to barbarically force Akechi to stay in one room. It feels disgusting to lock someone away like that, but the alternative dealing with an aggravated Akechi doesn't sound that good to him. 

Akira watches as Makoto and Ryuji leave the apartment. He knows exactly where to go after dragging him in the first time around. When he passes by Haru's door, he considers checking on her. But after the chaos of yesterday, he thinks he's better off not. 

Looking at the door, there's chairs off to the side from trying to barricade him inside. It’s only when Akira slowly opens the door that he sees Akechi with his head hanging down. The lights are off, but the daylight still comes in. He's sitting at the edge of the bed, bits of the morning light hitting part of his face. Looking up at Akira, Akechi’s face is disgusted. 

“What are you doing here?” Akechi sounds surprised. The room feels entirely too basic for someone like Akechi, and yet it's the strangest prison cell he's even seen. He look for a light switch on the wall by the door. When he flips it, it brings a dim yellow glow into the room. 

“I wanted to talk, see how you’re doing.” Akira says. 

Akechi scoffs. “Please, if you’re going to treat me like a human again you may as well allow me to act on my own free will instead of keeping me prisoner."

“You were the one who attempted to escape as soon we discovered you had a palace.” Akira is calm, keeping a decent space. With everything the two of them had been through, Akira has an idea how to deal with him. In another life, they would’ve been good friends. Here, they're constantly on thin ice. 

“You would’ve locked me away anyway, or at least your friends would have” Akechi looks down and away from Akira. Taking a deep breath in, Akira feels the embarrassment welt up inside him. It’s unlikely they would've locked him away if he didn't try to run. If they could, they would’ve treated him fairly. But that can't discredit the reality of their actions on their first real day. 

“I want to understand what’s going through your mind.” 

“My mind? My mind is a palace, how could you trust anything I have to say regarding it? We both know palaces are caused by distorted desires.”

“And yours is a need for attention.” Akira’s patience is starting to run a little thin this morning, and unfortunately, it means stopping to his level for a moment, “Your mother never gave it to you and even when your father did it was never enough. You strived for attention from the media and even when everyone was against you, you lived off the publicity. I knew this beforehand and yet you haven't developed a palace before this. What is it about this reality that pushed you over the edge and gave you one?” 

Akira watches as Akechi’s head droops down further, as though he's passing out. Akira takes cautious steps and kneels down to get a better look at his eyes. He looks like a deer in the headlights, a look of remorse across his face. There's a hint of gold in the brown of his eyes. Akechi looks truly afraid.

“I… I’m not in control of myself sometimes. When I lash out, it doesn’t feel like it’s me. I don’t know what’s happening half of the time. And I-” His head shoots back up, and turns a sharp 90 degrees to the right. His neck cracks loudly. The remorse is gone, replaced by fury and anger. “I told you to leave didn’t I?”

All Akira could do is watch in silence as Akechi seemingly lost his mind. They're the only two there, so whoever he was speaking to was an illusion, a trick played by Akechi’s mind. 

“Akechi -” 

“Get out of my head!” Akechi screeches. His upper body rocks back and forth as he grinds his teeth down. "Haven't you done enough shit to me?"

"I haven't done - "

"Not you, you idiot!" Akechi barks to Akira, "Leave!" He sucks in a high pitched breath. Akechi’s head rolls back, and he passes out. Akira turns off the light and quietly closes the door behind him. 

In a weird way, he got everything and nothing from that conversation. It reaffirmed that Akechi is in some control of himself, meaning the palace didn’t come from him directly. However, the distortion is still fully his, just highly exaggerated. It still left him wondering who he was talking to. Even more worrying...what did he mean there was hope for them but not for him? 

Akira jots down all the details he can about the interaction on his phone, hoping to either connect the dots. For now, it's all he really can do until they get more information. 

\--

“Care to explain why you asked Sumi and I to come to the train station? You seem to be more interested in your laptop at the moment.” Yusuke asks Futaba, who hasn’t greeted either of them since arriving. Last night, Futaba texted Sumi and Yusuke in a separate group, asking them to join her at the train station first thing in the morning. She arrived there an hour early, more so she can get used to busy train stations alone all over again. 

Despite a new reality, she's sure that the same rules apply. No one's gonna bother a random girl huddled in some corner. 

“One sec. And… done! Okay.” Futaba closes her laptop and stands back up to face them. “I got an idea last night!” 

“About what?” Sumi asks. 

“Mementos! I gotta know what’s going on down there. We can't get far without Mona, but we can walk a little bit on the top floor. I wanna at least get some readings, see if there’s any major changes or not because of this Asshole. I invited you two to be my bodyguards!” Futaba pulls out her phone, already triggering the change into Mementos. Sumi and Yusuke didn’t get a chance to ask her questions before watching the world change. Now as Violet, Fox and Oracle, they were welcomed yet again by the sight of the public’s palace. 

"This is Mementos? This is darker than I imagined," Violet exclaims as she twirls around the train platform. Her coat tails fly up when she spins. 

It all looks the same from their Christmas visit. There's no differences between what they were used to before and now. The first few rows of train tracks, the turnstiles, the broken flooring. It's all the same. Oracle starts by analyzing the few floors below, attempting to see if there was anything of interest. Usually, she’d spot around a dozen shadows on each floor. This high up, they’d all be fairly weak. However, she isn’t seeing any readings for the next five floors. Going down another five on her screen, she still sees nothing. 

“That’s weird…” Oracle says aloud, continuing to look through her data. 

“Is it safe to go down?” Violet asks. Oracle sighs, shutting off her screen for a moment so she can talk directly to the pair. All this trouble of bringing them here for there to be nothing. Well, better to have someone to complain about walking down than going alone. 

“Yeah, but it's weird. There's nothing down there, no shadows. It's a ghost town. I still wanna go down... Where is everyone?” Oracle responds. 

“Hm… maybe because this isn’t the real Mementos it’s empty? Or perhaps there are shadows down there, but they are not appearing on your readings?” Fox offers. 

“Pshhh!” Oracle throws her hands up. “Blasphemy, Inari! If it moves or has some type of energy, I can detect it. Let’s go, and if I’m wrong, which I’m not, I’ll watch you kick some ass.” She jumps down to the train tracks moving ahead. 

“Wait, I’m not done!” Fox jumps down, following her close behind. 

"Come on, Violet. I'll give you the grand tour." Oracle laughs. She hears her heels click against the metal tracks. It doesn't take long to explain it. She got the rundown yesterday, so it was just a matter of putting a kinda pretty picture to the explanation from yesterday. Well, not pretty the further you get down. 

But going through the floors leaves the back of her mind focused on one thing: the eerie silence. Oracle can't hear anything in Mementos besides their footsteps along the tracks. Thanks to her navigation, they could proceed through the various levels quickly. It's not what she probably planned, but whatever. Plans fall apart all the time. 

They stop at the second safe floor they saw after going through the ten floors. She rechecks the readings while Violet and Fox relax on the chairs. The next ten floors were exactly the same: no energy, no movement, and no shadows. Oracle works around the cognition, trying to see if she could see even further down. She takes her laptop out of the bag, remembering her work from earlier. From the corner of her eye she hears breathing and the smell of cheap breakfast in it. 

Eh, she can't be that mad at the smell. It's Fox after all. He peers over her shoulder, looking at all the complicated code on her laptop.

“Is this what you were working on earlier?” He questions. 

“Yup! And if everything works out, I should be able to see further down. I wasn’t going to use it, but seeing that the next ten floors look exactly the same, I don’t wanna keep walking down. I just need a minute to work into my data. And…. done! Time to check!” She hands Fox her laptop and puts her goggles back on. 

“Does she always shove her laptop to you?” Violet laughs. 

“In reality this is an improvement. In the past she would place it wherever it landed. It’s why it has an enormous case, it’s Futaba-proof. She’s generally careful with her belongings, but even she knows she can get carried away at times.” Fox notes. Oracle ignores his sweet statement for now, but the smile on her face is still there. Both for his words and all the fancy new information at her disposal. 

Then she sees it. Her screen glitches out. The figures and mapping is shrouded in a dark energy. Her smile drops. She takes off her goggles, and stands up. 

“We should leave. I’ll explain why after we get out of here, but I think we to leave. Now.” Oracle cautions. 

She's stern, and is already moving back in the direction they came. Oracle hears Fox and Violet right behind her, but she's running through the information as fast as some of the code she's worked with in the past. 

The last time she felt this nervous was the sinking ship in Shido's palace and Ryuji almost dying the blast. Even fighting Yaldabaoth didn't really scare her. No, it's the unknown that's scarier. And right now, she knows nothing. 

Futaba makes it out moments before the others, but it's enough time for her to sit against a wall and cross her legs. When the other two come out, Yusuke immediately knees down and wraps an arm around her.

"What happened? What did you see?” He frantically asks

Sumi walks up, also squatting in front of her. “Was it the other floors?” 

“There’s a super strong energy near the bottom. I can't tell if it's the very bottom, but it's real low. We wouldn’t be able to go down there without Mona. But whatever it was, it knew I was watching. My system glitched for a second, I’ve never had a shadow, or whatever it was, do that before.” Futaba rattles on, pulling information out from the short event. “Our team is good, but this felt like final boss level energy.”

Even after thinking about it, she isn't sure what she saw. As Oracle, she has a good idea of how Mementos worked. She's spent countless hours learning and analyzing it, so if anything did happen, she could understand what's wrong. But all of that meant nothing after this. It didn't even feel like it belonged in Mementos. 

“That’s definitely concerning. Should we tell the others?” Yusuke asks. 

"We can tell them, but I think it just confirms something we already knew: we should avoid Mementos until we get more information." Futaba's lip quivers, "Besides, we gotta deal with this Drama King first.” The nickname flows out of her. Well, King Asshole and Drama King are two TOTALLY different people. 

"Drama King?" Sumi questions. “Do you call everyone some kind of royalty name?”

"Tsk, no. I don’t wanna call King Asshole a king, that’s stupid," Futaba winces. She knows her jokes are already helping her feel better. "So I'm gonna call the guy that shoved us into reality as just Asshole, and Akechi will now be known as Drama King.”

“Is that supposed to be insulting?” Yusuke asks.

Futaba excitedly nods, “Oh, for sure. Asshole can get a better name later on, since I get a feeling some of the team is gonna get sick of it. But Drama King fits Akechi way too well to not use it as an insult later on.” 

Sumi looks perplexed, and she can’t tell if Yusuke is disappointed or confused. Eh, either are alright in her book. 

Sumi clears her throat, “Names aside… we can’t go back down there anytime soon, yes? At least, I’m assuming Senpai won’t want to go there.” 

“I’d agree, we can tell them soon. Although as you said, I’m sure Akira will simply ask us to not go in.”

“I third that! No point in adding more problems we can’t really control.” Futaba agrees, and her mood changes again. She shoots up, stretching her arms up to the sky. “Besides, we gotta deal with the Drama King first!” 

\--

“I hope Akira is okay… Maybe we should text him.” Makoto says, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Ryuji grabs her hand, stopping her from texting their leader. 

“This is Akira we’re talking about. If anyone can handle Akechi, it’s him. Besides,” Ryuji says, looking at the waitress walking towards them. She places two cups on the table, smiles and walks away. “Our drinks are here!” 

Makoto's is a piping hot cup of coffee, while Ryuji gets a hot chocolate. She knows it's nowhere near the same quality as LeBlanc, but it's a good alternative until… well, until unfortunately Futaba gives them the okay. Besides, it's nice for the cold weather to have something warm, and while it wasn’t snowing, there's a bitter breeze that hit every so often on their way here. 

“I suppose you’re right. We also have other important topics to discuss, such as everything we noticed on our way here.” Makoto instead pulls out her notebook. It’s a black notebook with a simplified image of the high priestess tarot card on the front. A simple but thoughtful gift from Ryuji for Christmas, she's grateful it somehow made it across to this reality intact. 

“Well, no one’s really talkin’. The waitress, the people in our train car comin’ here. Yeah they’re talkin’, but it’s like… it all seems like small talk.” Ryuji thinks aloud. “It’s like everyone’s got a script, and if they don’t got anythin’ else, they don’t say nothin’.”

“They don’t say anything. It’s a double negative, so if you say it as you did, it means they did say something.” 

“Damn,” He laughs. “Always lookin’ for a way to teach me something don’t ya?” 

She blushes. “Maybe. Anyway, let's stay focused. Everything is off when we hear people talk. What about the scenery? Didn’t everything look a little dull, as if it was an imitation? We both know it is, but looking at the building with Haru’s penthouse, it’s way more detailed and elaborate in reality.” 

“Oh!” Ryuji exclaims. “You know what’s kinda off too? The Nav!” 

He pulls out his phone, tapping until he reaches the application. Normally, its background was similar to the Mementos color scheme with all the information from their previous palaces saved. But now, it's far simpler. It only has options to enter the name, distortion and location. There's no saved information from their other palaces, and no data from their first visit to Akechi’s palace. 

“I noticed that too actually…” Makoto looks at the phone before going back to write their responses. Overall, it just felt like everything is copied and pasted, but not well. From their other teammate’s previous remarks, she thought it was limited to conversations, but everything is just… simpler. 

She hears Ryuji zip open his pocket to drop his phone back in. He taps his fingers against the glass, and when she looks up at him from, he's slumped forward towards her. 

“Can we uh, talk about something else real quick?” No conversation ever bodes well when a question is phrased that way. 

“Hm? What’s on your mind?" 

“...It’s about the palace thing. We’re both probably gonna get one, ain't we?” The idea of having to steal Ryuji's heart worries her. They've been through a lot together over the last few months. From dealing with her PTSD after their first visit to Sae’s palace, to Ryuji nearly dying after stealing Shido’s treasure, it's been a difficult few months. They made it through together, and as a result, she knows they're both confident in their relationship. However, throw in a palace and distorted desires…

“I’ve been contemplating that as well. There’s no way for us to truly know who’s next other than to watch each other. But if something happens, we’ll deal with it then. Living in fear won’t help either of us.” She reaches over and gives his hand a loving squeeze. “We’re in this together still, okay?” 

“Y-yeah…” Makoto knows no matter what, the reality of either of them having a palace would be difficult. All she can do is hope that one of them is spared. 

“Although, I’ve been considering who will be after Akechi. I have an inkling as far as who it will be.” 

Ryuji’s eyes widen. “Shit already? Who are you thinking?”

\--

Haru lays on her bed, looking up at the whote ceiling above. Based on the sunlight in her room, she estimates it's early afternoon, no later than 3pm. She feels her stomach crying for something, anything. All she's had in the past twelve hours is water she brought into her room last night. Either way, the thoughts in her head are too loud for her to acknowledge the gurgling from her stomach. 

Her mind goes back to everything Akechi said. 

The brief screams of her less than ideal traits. Everything she was before the Phantom Thieves. Deep down she truly wants to believe she's changed, but what if he's right? 

His words stabbed her, leaving the knife in her heart to deal with the consequences. She wants to pull it out, but she didn’t have the strength to do it. 

Not when everything he stated is partially true. 

She knows she can be too passive for her own good. It's why she lasted so long in a loveless relationship with Sugimura. If not for the other girls on her team, she would’ve never gone down to Mementos and stopped him herself. She recalls the one moment of confidence she had down there, and of course it's her most chaotic moment to death. 

Unfortunately, it would've meant a murder. 

Something about that excited her in that shit moment. The idea of torturing someone as vile as him with a slow and painful death… it sends chills up her spine. 

But she was too much of a coward to do it. 

No, that's not right. She wouldn't have killed him. Thankfully Makoto was nice enough to talk her down in that moment of weakness, but if she was alone and had gotten him to his knees the same way… would she have done it?

No, she doesn’t think she would’ve killed him. 

You should have killed him

Haru eyes shoot open, startled by the voice in her head that isn't her own. For a moment, she thinks she sees her father out of the corner of her eye. When she sits up and turns to face it, there’s no one there. 

\--

“And that’s why I think they’re next.”

“Yeah, that makes alotta sense actually. So uh, do we do anything about it?” 

“I don’t believe there’s anything we can do… If this reality-bending monster can force persona users to have palaces, then they can override our best efforts to prevent a palace. They may even change our personalities.” 

“You sound scared, Makoto.”

“I really am. I’m not sure what their palace will look like, but I have ideas, and if I’m right, then we have every reason to be concerned.”


	5. Judgement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UPRIGHT: Rebirth, inner calling, absolution, reflection, reckoning  
>  **REVERSED: Self-doubt, inner critic, lack of self-awareness, self-loathing**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: thanks to Storijophe & Autological03 for catching editing mistakes :)  
>  ~~no beta we die like men😭~~

“You sure you’re going to be alright here alone, Yusuke? Dude’s off the rails.” Sakamoto whispers to Kitagawa. 

"Yes because I definitely can't hear you," Akechi complains, his voice dripping in sarcasm. Their too warm and sweaty hands did nothing but make him dread being here any moment longer. 

Tying him up does absolutely nothing, and yet here they are, tying him up again. Sure, he knows his stability is far from normal right now. Although he's coherent enough to know if he even tries to leave, the team is going to throw a fit. Although if he really wants to, he can break the ties whenever he wants to. So why they keep trying is beyond him… 

“Yes I’ll be fine. I believe he won't cause any trouble.” Famous last words, clearly. 

“Well, good luck with him then.” Sakamoto narrows his eyes at Akechi before he shuts the door behind him. 

Akechi rarely acknowledged the artist before this. They never interacted outside the Phantom Thieves, and even then everything he knew beforehand was from the Madarame case, never from his mouth directly. The last thing he really wants right now is to be in the same room as him. 

The little he knows comes from observation. He can talk a mile a minute when he's invested in something. He's seen it happen with Sakura, over some ridiculous art project while going through Mementos once. And yet, Kitagawa is sketching with his back to the door as if he's not there. There’s scribbling, and the sound of rustling paper far too loud in this room. 

For all the drama the others may cause, he's far more composed. 

“Aren’t you going to speak to me?” Akechi asks from sheer curiosity. Kitagawa's pencil continues to glide across the paper. He tsks before flipping the page and looks up from his book. 

“And ruin this prime moment to capture agony? I prefer to sketch it. Would you tilt your head to the side?"

God he's dense. 

"What's wrong with you?" Akechi rolls his eyes and faces away from Kitagawa. It's not a question he's looking to get answered. Although, from the corner of Akechi’s eye, he sees the flip of a leather cover. A slight rustling of paper and hears nails slowly drag down a metal spiral. Unfortunately, he knows he's in for some kind of emotional lecture. 

Akira really does have a knack for attracting a whole freak show. 

"Truthfully, after what you did to Futaba's mother I find it difficult to resonate with you." Kitagawa sighs. "But that does not mean I'm not interested in speaking with you. If you'll speak to me, of course."

There. Question answered. He can ignore him now that the itch in the back of his brain is scratched. So Akechi stays quiet. He doesn't owe him anything, much less a proper conversation. 

Suddenly he feels arms on his shoulders, slithering down the front of his body. Warm breath comes too close to his neck, and uncomfortably close to his ear. Sometimes he can see the hands, and smell the bad breath coming from the mouth. This is not one of those moments. And sadly for him, it's one of the few moments he feels truly vulnerable. 

_Or you could continue to tell the world your whole story._

"I don't have to do anything." Akechi mumbles. When he jolts his head to the other side, the sun blinds him. His eyes squint. Maybe if he can imagine the body again, he won’t need to feel paranoid. That everything is actually real and not in his own head. That Kitagawa can truly see what’s been tormenting him for days. 

But when the breath hits his neck again, slavia practically dripping down his neck like fresh sweat, he turns his head to face forward again. Only for Kitagawa to look at him as if he's some kind of side show. 

"Interesting… are you hearing things? I believe the others mentioned you speaking to someone." Kitagawa quieres. 

"I'm not one of your projects, don't ask me such questions." Akechi disapproves. 

_Do it._

_You had no trouble doing it during your temper tantrum._

_Do it_

_Do it_

_Do it_

An eternity goes by in his head. The same face flashing over and over again. Even with eyes closed the smug face will just never leave him mind. 

_Do it_

_Do it_

_Do it_

“You're drawing blood in your arm." 

Akechi doesn't need to look down to see that he's right. His fingernails are digging in too deep for him to not realize it. The mild taste of metal in his mouth and the blood staining his finger tips are not enough for him to speak. 

_Do it_

_Do it_

_Do it -_

But the disapproving shriek in his ears is enough. He's heard it enough times to not react. It's not a new scream, but it's enough. He scratches his arm and looks properly at Kitagawa. His eyes burn, dry for some reason he doesn't understand yet. 

"What do I tell him?" Akechi complains. 

"Anything you'd like." Kitagawa answers. He doesn't know it's not for him, but whatever. He doesn't care enough to correct him. 

You know where to start. 

Fine. 

But he's not going into that much detail. None of them have any right to hear the full truth. 

"It started after my mother died."

\--  
As annoyed as she is with Akechi, Noir can't deny the beauty of the theater. 

Waiting in the wings backstage, she's able to count all the delicate details and features in the modern appearance of his theater. Based on how everyone seemingly reacted and the details from Queen earlier, Noir knows this is the start of a trend. At first, there's a barrier in the way of the back entrance that fades away the closer they get. In the distance, Noir can hear a chanting crowd. They’re elated, ecstatic to be sitting in the audience. 

“At least there’s no bodyguards this time, let’s go,” Skull says, approaching the barrier. The lights on the stage slowly turn on, nearly blinding Noir. Her eyes adjust quickly, fast enough to see the center open up again. 

“That’s where we came from last time.” Queen points out to Noir. Coming up from the platform, Shadow Akechi lays down. He looks beaten up, his clothes tattered and bruises on his face. 

“Oh shit.” Oracle whispers. Shadow Akechi struggles to stand up, looking at all the shadows around him. It didn’t make any sense to Joker; was Akechi acting or was he really hurt? 

“For so long, I was the victim.” Shadow Akechi coughs out as he sits up. From behind, a gust of wind pushes the last of the Phantom Thieves lingering backstage. Noir ducks her head, but she looks up and sees a flash of white. It gracefully moves around the stage until it transforms into Robin Hood above Shadow Akechi. He holds a hand out, “But at some point, there was hope. Hope for a brighter future.” 

“Work for me. You’ll have all the recognition you want as the Detective Prince… If you take down people as I demand them.” Shido’s voice rings. It’s been awhile since Noir heard Shido’s voice. She can’t miss that voice anywhere. 

“Yes… I shall.” 

When Shadow Akechi touches his hand, the lights go out. 

“Stay close to each other.” Joker reaches for others. Noir grabs hands with two of the Phantom Thieves, but she can’t tell who’s who in this darkness. The audience whispers, low mumbles coming from all around her. 

“You have so much untapped potential. Let’s use it.” The voice is garbled. It doesn’t even sound human, but apparently it’s enough to trigger an electric shock across the floor. For a brief moment, blue light shines through, and the heat of it is felt against her calves. However, it doesn’t hurt her. It doesn’t seem to hurt anyone besides Shadow Akechi, who screams out in pain. 

Suddenly, a spotlight. Shadow Akechi stands in the middle, this time in his black outfit. 

“Kill them.” 

“Dear me, what a predicament I’ve gotten myself into.” He’s lost, stuttering around like a newborn deer. 

“Showtime, thieves.” A shadow yells behind them, the barrier returning behind them. Shadow Akechi begins to dance around as the orchestra plays a crushing song. It’s loud, filled with the sound of brass instruments pushed to their limits. The lights come back to the main stage. This time, there are cognitive people appearing on stage. 

“Kill them, all of them!” Shido’s and the stranger’s voice pierces through, bringing a chill down her spine. But that’s not what begins to send her into a spiral. 

It’s her father, back in the flesh in front of her. His eyes are so soft, like the father she remembers. But it’s not enough to stop her hand flying to her mouth, holding back the shriek she wants to let out. He’s so lifelike, so normal, so… alive. A smile. One she sees sometimes in her dreams. 

She reaches out. 

“Noir no!” Queen shakes her shoulders before she can touch him. Checking behind her, Noir’s able to see everyone else around her. There are other cognitions, but none are as personal as hers is. Not even Oracle, still standing off to the side while she frantically works with her persona, is shown her mother. 

“What?” Noir falters. With her hand still up, he grabs her wrist. She watches the kindness in face fall apart, melting as he changes into a full shadow. The others around them transform as well, but she’s the only one who fell right into the trap. She’s not sure what she wanted from this. A chance to speak to her father again? Maybe, but they’re cognitions. They’ll never listen to reason, and she should’ve known better. 

It goes from a mental to physical pain as she feels the blow on her stomach. It sends her flying across the stage, tumbling off until she lands on the floor in the front row. Face up, the blank audience members stare with sharp smiles at her. Instinctively she crawls backwards, pulling herself up as she tries to digest the dull pain beginning to hit her body. 

“Ah!” Violet shouts, before she also comes tumbling down the stage with a loud grunt. She’s there to help him to her feet, and the two are able to look up again. The stage is set ablaze by the different elemental attacks flying in the air. The smoke of Panther’s fire. The blistering light of Queen’s nuclear attacks. The sparks of Skull’s electricity going wild. They’re all fighting hard on stage, struggling to make up for her hesitation. 

And she’s stuck down here with her knees buckled. 

“I…” Noir chokes out. 

“Let's go!” Violet jumps back up to the stage. Swallowing dry air, she follows her lead. By the time she’s able to see everything up front, most of the enemies are defeated. Violet is able to get right back into the groove, but Noir's attention is taken up by Shadow Akechi lurking. He’s hiding away, nearly out of sight. But his eyes and wicked smile fully give him away. Her stomach churns, even more so when she turns back to her team, and Panther destroys the final shadow. 

Nothing. She contributed nothing to this battle.

The audience explodes. Roaring applause, people standing in their seats. Noir hears the heavy breathing of her teammates, the only thing she can focus on that isn’t a cognition. When the noise finally dies down, footsteps stepping on the wooden stage is audible. Shadow Akechi walks to the center of the stage, causing the team to all take small steps to the edge of the stage. Loki and Robin Hood appear behind a silent Shadow Akechi. 

Until he shrieks in agony. 

As he screams, Robin Hood is swiftly slaughtered by Loki. Nothing is left aside from the dust fluttering towards the crowd. When he finally stops, Shadow Akechi throws his arms up, and he returns to his original ruler attire. Noir isn’t sure if this is just for show anymore. From the cock of his head and the smirk on his face, it can't be just for show anymore - it's a threat. 

“Akechi.” Joker says, taking the first step forward. He tries to be a friend, but Akechi doesn’t even flinch.

“You have no idea what’s coming your way. Consider this a break, because if you survive the final act, I’ll kill you all myself.” Shadow Akechi laughs, and Loki comes to him. A puff of smoke surrounds Shadow Akechi, extending to envelope the team. Everyone looks around, watching the gray cloud surround them. It quickly settles, and when it does, Shadow Akechi and the audience are gone. They’re left alone on stage. 

“That was really weird, wasn’t it?” Panther asks. “Oh, I got you, Noir.” 

The sweet relief of healing magic. It’s not as nice as it normally is for her. 

“Yeah, but what can we do? At least we’re closer to finishing this palace.” Queen says, looking around for the same door they left from earlier. When she spots it, she steps off the stage to walk there. Everyone follows her lead, except for Noir, who still stands on stage with her hands in fists. 

She feels cheated, absolutely destroyed by her father. He didn’t put up much of a fight, and yet, she was thrown right off the stage. Any stronger and it could’ve knocked her out. She should’ve jumped right into action, fought her father with the rest of the group.

Noir was too submissive... again. 

“Noir?” Skull calls, standing at the door. “Come on, they’re probably at the will seed by now.”

Noir closes her eyes, biting her lip and lifting her chin. She needs to act like the Okumura daughter she is. Staying strong, while holding back her true emotions. Now isn’t the time to act weak. She needs to keep trying, right?She slowly opens her eyes, adjusting to the stage lights again. She allows herself to smile and reassure Skull of her fake emotions.

“Coming!” 

It’s a short walk to the safe room, passing by the three rooms neatly organized in a line. Two are already broken into, but the third is still locked behind bars. She looks at the few details she can actually catch. A simple bulletin board with a name written in a language she doesn’t understand. A golden door knob, which stands out against the white of the door. It’s not enough to get my mind off of things, unfortunately. When Skull and Noir catch up with the others at the safe room, Oracle is marveling at the will seed she bounces from hand to hand, her eyes sparkling as she stares down the skull. The rest of the team, however, is already deep in conversation. 

“Is this tedious to anyone else? Why can’t he have a straightforward palace like everyone else?” Panther complained, her head resting in her hand. “Like I get it, he wants attention.” 

Skull and Noir wave to the group as they settle into their seats.

“With the third visit, and uh, final act, we should be able to send the calling card and get the treasure.” Joker says. “I think it’ll appear on that stage, that’s why we keep getting brought to it, and why most of our battles here have taken place there.”

“You sure it’s not because he just wants attention?” Oracle jokes. “I mean, look at the guy.” 

Joker sighs, “Yeah it’s that too, maybe. Either way, I don’t really have any strategy changes. We’ll have to come back next time, and hope that it appears on that stage. If not, we’ll scout the place again. This has been a really weird palace, and honestly, I cannot wait to steal the treasure.”

“Why? So that one of us can be next?” Noir’s sourly says from the other end of the table. The eyes shift to her, everyone looking confused. “Sorry… It’s my first visit to this palace, so the situation hadn’t really hit me until I saw him on that stage.”

“Noir, it’s okay.” Panther says quietly, reaching out to try and touch her shoulder. Noir pulls back, shaking slightly before sitting up a little straighter. 

“It’s really not, but we have to push forward, correct? Joker, are we done for the day or was there more you wanted to do?” Noir asks. Where did that...come from? The small outburst. It’s so unlike her. The small shift in her emotions, going from embarrassed and depressed about her performance in battle to snapping at Joker and Panther. It reminds her too much of… no, she’s not. 

She’s pushing that thought away. 

“One more thing. We need one last person to stay behind next time. I think when we send the calling card, we can all go in without worrying about him. Plus, we’ll need all the help we can get,” Joker notes. “Any volunteers?”

”I’ll stay behind.” Queen raises her hand, volunteering to stay with Akechi. Noir can only hope it’ll work out in her favor. She had a rough time with Akechi on her own, and after everything that happened, she can only imagine what will happen with Queen. 

“Alright, let’s go home then.”

In the silence of walking out of the safe room, Noir thinks about the voice she heard in her head yesterday...No, she can’t be next. She won’t allow herself to fall so low. Instead of talking with the others about the voice she heard, she stays quiet, lingering behind them with her hands crossed in front of her chest. They’re laughing up ahead, everyone distracted by their own conversations. It’s depressing for her. All she wants now is the comfort of her room, hiding away from the world. Maybe after she’ll feel well enough to tell the others what she’s feeling inside. 

\--

“Yusuke? We’re back.” Makoto says, unlocking the door. When the door opens, she sees Akechi relaxing, reading a book on the couch. Yusuke, sitting on the armchair across from him, sketches quickly. 

“Ah, welcome home. Akechi seems to be okay, he had some issues earlier, but he’s been calm. We were speaking earlier about art.” Yusuke says, unbothered by whatever happened while she was away. 

“You blathered on about art. I said nothing,” Akechi doesn’t look up from his book, “I’m calm. Isn’t this what you wanted?” 

Makoto’s mouth is dry. Well, yes, this is what she wanted. Akechi not bothering them at all. Calm, at ease, without having to worry about him berating any of them. But it feels unnatural. They haven’t done anything in his palace to warrant such behavior. While she considers her options, Haru and Ryuji step inside. 

“Thank you for helping, Yusuke.” Haru says. 

Akechi closes his book with a light thud. Makoto can hear the soft sound of his nails scraping across the cover. She doesn’t need him to say anything; she knows what he’s thinking. Already feeling her heart race, she moves to stand in front of Haru.

“I was hoping my palace ruler would have torn you to shreds.” Akechi complains, his eyes still looking away from them.

“I want nothing to do with you.” Haru responds right after. 

“That’s it?” Akechi scoffs. He tosses his book to the side of the couch standing up. Yusuke looks up at the scene, flips to a new page, and starts frantically sketching. “All you can say is you want nothing to do with me? Pathetic.” 

“Akechi, stop it.” Makoto orders, “We don’t need any arguments, and you know that.” 

“Take notes, Okumura. Perhaps one day you’ll be able to fight instead of hiding behind others with your tail between your legs.” 

Haru rushes from behind and goes down the hall without another word. Akechi watches her walk off, picks up his book and holds his hands up. There's the shift again, straight from the anger right back into passive aggressiveness. 

"I'm going before you all decide to throw a fit again." He says pointing at them all one by one. With his shoulders back, he walks confidently back to his room.

Makoto watches with a scowl as he walks away, but holds back the urge to bombard him with questions. She'll have plenty of time to really understand what's going through his brain. She listens for his footsteps, the exact same ones as in the palace. When the distant sound of his door clicks shut, she places her hand on her forehead and lets out a small groan.

“Yusuke, what were you thinking? We’re lucky he didn’t get violent with Haru.” Makoto scolds Yusuke, who slows down his sketching. He sets the drawing pad on his lap. Her eyes naturally gravitate towards it. On paper, Haru stands sheepishly behind Makoto. Akechi is in the middle of one of his jabs. 

It's not something she wants on paper permanently.

“He was normal most of the time with me. In fact I didn't feel threatened at all." Yusuke reasons. “I’m starting to think there’s more to his actions.”

"What do ya mean?" Ryuji asks, his lips pressing together. 

"He explained briefly about his murders because someone in his mind told him too. After that he was quiet. I asked if he wanted to come into the living room since the light is far better in here for sketching. He agreed, and he was reading the entire time as I explained to him my drawings."

Yusuke can get angry. She's seen it happen before, and it's more of a silent anger. It’s a little scary. This, however, is far from it. He’s calm. If there was any reason for him to be angry at Akechi, he would've told them by now. But the reappearance of the illusion concerns her greatly, and it appears he took it a little too lightly for her taste. 

“I wonder who he’s seeing.” Makoto says aloud. "Shido? Or perhaps his mother?" 

“I mean, what did Akechi say?” Ryuji asks, already digging into the pantry. He pulls out a few bags of chips, shaking one up to Yusuke. He struts over, sketchbook still in hand. Well, she could use something small to eat on while they broke things down. 

Yusuke takes a bag and dives into it, "Unfortunately nothing too revealing. But Shido would not surprise me. It sounds as though he's taking orders from someone he dislikes." 

“Yes, that’s what happened in the palace today as well...He may be seeing Shido.” Makoto says to no one in particular. It would make sense, based on the aspect of demands alone. Whether or not Akechi is coherent enough to do them out of his own free will or to get away from the voice in his head for a brief second, she's not sure. 

“It could be.” Ryuji responds. “The guy was a dick to him, it wouldn’t shock me.” 

“Yes… I’ll get some answers next time. It’s partially why I volunteered - to get answers. However, I’ll admit I did it for a selfish reason.” 

“...What do you mean?” Yusuke questions.

“If my assumption is correct, the final act will be him joining our team. This means Sae’s palace. It’s one thing for me to hear someone talk about it… And another thing for me to relive it. I believe Akechi will hold back no punches on recreating Sae’s and Shido’s palace, meaning absolute trouble for me.” 

Makoto doesn't like to talk about this, but it's easier now that some time has passed. If even the sound of casino games and slot machines is enough to trigger a panic attack, this could be worse. And she's not going to risk a panic attack to progress through the palace. Not when she has an out. 

She already feels her heart race at even thinking about the palaces again. 

“You gonna be okay with him? What if he brings it up?" Ryuji cautiously asked. She takes his hand, giving it a light squeeze before she locks their fingers together. 

She nods. “I'll manage. I've noticed it's more environmental. It's difficult to discuss, but it's manageable.” She lies. She honestly isn't sure if she would be okay with talking about it with Akechi of all people. But she knows for a fact being exposed to it in a palace would be more detrimental. 

“How are you coping with it these days?" Yusuke asks. 

“Some nights are easier than others. We’ve only been in this reality for a few days and I’ve already had two nightmares. They were starting to go away before, so I’ll admit it’s a little difficult to have them resume regularly… but, I’ll cope. So I’ve decided I’m going to try and find my therapist here.” 

“What?” Yusuke and Ryuji speak at the same time. It was a fleeting thought she had this morning, right before entering the palace. But after what happened in the past two visits, her nightmares, and now Haru, she needs someone to talk to. Sure, her therapist is likely part of the two-dimensional population around them. 

But she needs this. She needs to talk to a third party. 

“I can't imagine it'd be too different. It was always me talking more, so this just gives me more room to speak my mind freely.” Ryuji's grip on her hand loosens slightly. He might not like the idea, "I'll be okay."

"I see, then I believe it should be helpful for your mental health.” Yusuke turns to Ryuji, “Do you not like the idea?" He ponders. 

Ryuji scratches the back of his neck with his free hand. "I mean, I'm worried, obvious. I don't watcha to get hurt. But I trust ya, just be careful, okay?" 

"I will," Makoto promises. "I'll stop going as soon as something goes wrong, or if something feels wrong." 

"Okay," Ryuji's frown curls up into a smile, "I know you're smart, you got this." 

Speaking of smart, she should definitely check on Haru… Considering her reaction last time, Makoto didn't want to rush in after her. But it's been a few minutes, long enough for her to go see her. 

“I should check on Haru, I’ll be back.” Makoto says, walking down the hall. She knocks on her door, trying to get her attention. She sees the door cracked open and walks in. This time, the lights are off and Haru is fast asleep on the bed. Her body is facing the wall. Makoto looks at her briefly, hoping that she was okay. Waking her up would only disturb her, so she leaves and closes the door behind her. 

Maybe she’ll come out later.


	6. Seven of Cups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **UPRIGHT: choices, searching for purpose, illusion, fantasy, daydreaming, wishful thinking, indecision**  
>  REVERSED: lack of purpose, disarray, confusion, diversion, distractions, clarity, making choices

“Thank you everyone for coming here on such short notice.” Makoto says to the group. Late last night, she considered Akechi’s behavior. How he’s normal and civil with Yusuke, but the moment Haru appears, he resorts back to his earlier behaviors. She wanted to talk about it among the larger group, and more so, bring Akechi into the conversation. It’s not enough for them to talk about him. 

So there he sits there, tied to his chair in the middle of the living room, but he’s acting normal. He isn’t lashing out, and only speaks in small comments to the unknown person to the side. It’s almost unusual for Makoto to see him so civil again.

At the same time, Haru’s seat remains empty and cold. She doesn’t want to see him again, and truthfully, Makoto can’t blame her right now. His behavior to her is unacceptable. But she won’t do anything with him in this state of mind. Yet. 

“You’ve brought me into this conversation for what reason?” Akechi questions Makoto. 

“To see your behavior in this interaction. Also to discuss amongst the larger group… who are you speaking to?” She’s straightforward, standing in front of him. 

“I’m surprised you’re speaking to us at all, you didn’t seem keen on talking the other day.” Akira says, legs crossed on the couch. 

“I don’t like you. We’ve discussed this already.” Akechi dryly responds, “And I don’t want to discuss it again.”

“So we don’t hafta talk about Akira,” Ryuji says. He clears his throat, settling back into his seat. “But uh, what are ya seein’?” 

“I’ll answer more questions if you free me from this seat.” The group looks at each other, and it doesn’t seem like the team fully agrees on releasing him. 

“Yusuke, he didn’t try to run when he was freed?” Makoto asks the artists, who’s drawing the scene in his sketchpad. How can he draw in a moment like this? Then again, any scene with some emotion is enough for him to find inspiration. 

“No, not once. However if he does try something, we can always bind him again.” He doesn’t look up from his sketchpad. Futaba leans into his shoulder, looking at the simple sketch on the page.

“What if you gave him a mustache?” Futaba says, pointing to someone on the paper. 

“You think I should disgrace the accuracy of the scene?” He gasps. 

“Uh, yeah.” 

“Hm, it may be an interesting take...What if I gave Makoto a mustache as well? I believe that may-” 

“Can we stay focused?” Makoto asks. “Also please don’t give me a mustache, I do want to see what it looks like after. Anyway… if anyone is strongly opposed to freeing him, speak up, or I’ll undo the ties.” 

No one speaks up. Yusuke and Futaba focus on his sketch to go back into the conversation, and everyone else stays quiet. Makoto’s hoping someone would oppose. She wants to trust him, but it leaves a sick feeling in her stomach, but she also couldn’t speak much to his behavior overall. She’s not going to be the roadblock from getting potentially crucial information. 

“Untie him, Makoto.” Akira finally says. She goes around him, using scissors to cut the zip ties binding his hands. Kneeling down, she does the same to the ties holding his feet to the chairs. He grabs his wrists, massaging the areas that were held down. He stands up and stretches his arms out. 

“Now what?” He’s so calm. 

“So… want to tell us who you see?” Akira asks. 

“A cheap replica of Shido.” Akechi’s eyes drift to the side. Makoto looks for any reaction or sign of emotion, but there’s nothing but discontent. 

Nonetheless, it piques her attention. The bits and pieces she’s heard over the past few days lines up. But why him? Why is he hallucinating in the first place? Makoto knows it has to do with this reality, but what’s the trigger? Perhaps it’s a side effect of the palace...

“Akechi, what did Shido say to you when I was in the room?” Akira asks. 

Akechi seems to think about it for a moment before opening his mouth to answer. However, all opportunities to answer disappear when footsteps come their way, and a sheepish Haru appears. Half of the team suddenly panics, with Ryuji and Yusuke already jumping towards Akechi. When Akechi turns around and sees Haru, Makoto sees his pupils dilate. It’s like a switch clicks in his mind, with the light in his eyes going completely out.

He doesn’t take his eyes off of her as the two pin him down, trying to keep him still. He bites his lip, clearly holding back words he wants to say. She could see a small bit of red already appearing on his lips, the edges of his teeth biting down hard enough to create a cut. It becomes even more clear to Makoto that he’s not willingly insulting her; something about Haru is triggering this change in his personality. But why hold back now?

“I’m sorry for the trouble, I’ll go back to my room.” Haru says quietly, her right hand gripping onto her left upper arm. 

“If you keep holding back everyone is going to leave you behind!” Akechi shouts. Now fighting back against Ryuji and Yusuke keeping him down, Akira and Makoto step in to help. “You’re getting what’s coming to you!”

“I’m getting some tape,” Makoto quickly runs to the counter, seeing a shaken Haru up close. The grip on her arm looked as tight. He throws his head back, teeth biting back down. Makoto tries to reach out to her briefly, but Haru pulls back, looking at her frightened. 

“I’m sorry,” Haru sulks off again. Makoto sighs, simply grabbing the tape and putting it back on his lips. With Haru gone, he calms down again, no longer jolting back and forth. They couldn’t risk it again, not with him constantly putting her down. His words meant something. While now isn’t the time to pry into it, she’d get her chance tomorrow, once she was alone with him. 

“Maybe we should call it here. I’m sorry everyone. I’m not sure how helpful this was.” Makoto says, looking at Akira. 

“I think we’ve all had enough fun for one day, and we still have the palace tomorrow.” Akira notes. 

“Maybe we can fit one more piece of news real quick.” Futaba stands up, her hands clapping behind her. “Yusuke, Sumi and I took a trip to Mementos a few days ago. No shadows down there, but uh, there’s something big down there.” 

Makoto furrows her brows, “What do you mean?” She’s not opposed to them going in alone. After all, she wasn’t one to talk with the number of times she’s gone in with Ryuji or fully alone… but why is there nothing? “How are there no shadows down there?” 

Sumi answers, “Futaba mentioned there’s normally enemies there, but we walked through and saw nothing.”

“It ain't always that chill, don’t get used to it,” Ryuji jokingly wags his finger. 

“That means no Mementos missions or training outside of the palaces.” Akira sighs, “That’s going to be annoying, but I’m not sure if we would’ve had time for that anyway.” 

On the bright side, it did give her a chance to go in whenever she wanted to and drive with Anat without worrying about shadows. It did unfortunately leave her with more to consider. 

“If we’re done-done, can we bring him back into the room?" Ryuji whines, "Dude's gonna free himself at some point and I don't want it to be here." 

"Yeah take him back." Akira nods. Letting go of Akechi, Ryuji tugs his body back onto his feet. The blond tries to guide him back, but Akechi aggressively pulls his arm back. He narrows his eyes at him, but Ryuji still walks behind him. On the other hand, Yusuke struts back over to his sketchbook and plops down. 

Makoto's not really sure what to do next. The meeting is over, but she doesn't feel good about what happened. Perhaps because nothing really did happen. Now, all she does is watch Ann and Akira quietly talk among themselves while they put their shoes back on. On the other hand, Sumi and Futaba peek over Yusuke's shoulder. Sumi's face is hard to read, but Futaba's mischievous grin is enough to get her attention. 

“Alright hand it over, please don’t tell me he gave me a mustache.” Makoto extends her hand out, hoping they’d give her the sketch. They stifle a few giggles before passing it to her. She looks down at the sketchpad, seeing a somewhat impressive drawing of her and Akechi. Considering how much time he really had before Akechi went rogue, it's well-done. The only thing that bothers her was the clear addition of hair on Akechi’s clean shaven face. As her eyes go over to her own…

“You can tell when he got up to deal with Akechi,” Sumi laughs. Makoto sighs, seeing her own face.

“Really Yusuke? At least give me a real mustache, this is just a line across my face!” 

\--

Akira walks down the streets of Shibuya alone, seeing the empty faces of citizens crossing his path. He doesn't bother to really pay much attention, considering he only has one mission in mind. In his time here, he had yet to visit the Velvet Room. He knew he had to try eventually, but he worries about the reality impacting them as well. If it did, he’d have to go to a sad copy of Igor and Lavenza to get his personas. If it didn’t, it would make the reality even more confusing. He turns onto the sidestreet, seeing the familiar blue gate. She's already waiting for him there, clipboard in hand. 

“I had a feeling you would finally return today.” Lavenza smiles. 

If she’s a copy, it’s not immediately clear to him. He waves to her, and she opens the door. He enters through the warm blue light. No longer a prisoner of his own heart, the jail bars that previously confined him are gone. 

“Trickster, welcome back.” Igor says. It's going to take some time for him to fully adjust to the changes, such as Lavenza taking the spot of Caroline and Justine, as well as Igor’s voice. He does like the true Igor much better. From the few interactions he's had with him, he's kinder, more willing to listen to his concerns. 

“I'm sorry for taking so long. It’s been a hard transition.” Akira says, still having his guard up. 

“It appears as though you and your team are quite in the predicament.” Lavenza notes, walking up to Igor’s right side. “It took us a few tries to successfully infiltrate this reality. When we finally arrived, I started looking into everything. Unfortunately there was little either of us could decipher.”

“Yes, we are confused as well. This reality should not exist, at all.” Igor adds. Those statements confirm Akira’s suspicions. Thankfully, they were the true people. However, it doesn’t change that they’re as confused as he is. If they didn’t understand what's happening, who would? It would take some serious investigating on the team’s part to do so. Even then, he was surprised they didn’t know about whoever is controlling this place. Then again, why would they?

He winces, remember that they still need a real name to call, well, whoever is controlling this place. 

“My team and I were taken by someone, but we don't know who. They took Morgana, and trapped him in a palace. They also told us that seven of us would develop palaces. We’re currently securing a route through the first one, which belongs to Goro Akechi. We’re going in blind here sadly.” 

Lavenza clears her throat. “I see. It truly is interesting to see persona users develop palaces. As well as the revival of the other Trickster…” The look on her face is clearly concerned. She looks to Igor for an answer, who taps on the glass desk. 

“That is worrying. It appears as though you’re running against the clock as well. Lavenza found something unusual, as if the threads of this reality are being pulled apart daily. It’s a small change at the moment, but it’s noticeable.” Igor says. He holds his hand out to Lavenza, who gives him the clipboard. He notes something on there before giving it back to her. 

“Yeah they told us about a time limit. But...Is there anything you can do for Morgana?" Akira asks. He's tried not to think of Morgana too much since he had disappeared. Not because he didn’t want to, but because it's hard without him. It's depressing coming home alone without the usual warmth of the cat on his chest. As annoying as he can be at times, he's still a valuable team member and their friend. 

“I can try, but I can’t guarantee anything. Although, I assume it could also be possible he’s in a palace that has not fully formed yet.” Igor says, looking at Akira’s face for a reaction. Akira shifts from one foot to the other, keeping a small frown on his face. Igor must've noticed his mood, as he adds, “It’ll get easier and harder, I’m sure.” 

His face changes to confusion. “What do you mean?” 

Igor gestures to Lavenza to answer, who clears her throat again. “The threads I mentioned… well, they're not really threads but it's hard to explain it differently. The more they’re pulled, the less stable this reality will become. Whoever created this reality knew that, meaning they want to make it progressively harder with each palace for your team. However, it’s unlikely that they’ll repeat palaces. So once Goro Akechi’s heart is taken, he won’t develop another. The price for having a team you can increasingly rely on is the increasing difficulty of palaces.”

“That makes sense.” Akira acknowledges. He hates the idea of palaces getting harder, especially since it was at the cost of his friends’ sanities. But the thread analogy makes enough sense for him to report this back to everyone later. He doesn't like it, but at least it means he can trust Akechi after they steal his heart. He still has so many questions… but if they barely know what's going on, it'd be useless to ask now. 

Well, there's two he can ask. 

"Is something the matter?" Lavenza tilts her head. 

"Yeah - I mean no, nothing is wrong. I just have two questions."

“Ask away.” 

“First, Mementos. I haven’t gone in yet, but it still exists. Futaba said it's totally empty. How and why is it here?” 

“Ah, I had a feeling you would ask that.” Igor laughs. “This Mementos does not end with you taking on yet another god. That was the first thing we looked into. It’s a cheap imitation, and I’m sure there are no enemies down there. What does concern me is there is something at the bottom. The velvet is no longer at the bottom of Mementos, so this is something else entirely. I would recommend avoiding it for the time being.” 

Akira wants to go into Mementos, but without Morgana, there's no way for his team to make it down. The exhaustion would be terrible, and he wasn't going to risk losing days because they want to explore what's down there. Even with Makoto's persona, it's still too risky to send her down there. They're going to have to wait for Morgana, hopefully. 

Next question.

“My other question isn't simple. Akechi: how is he alive? Is it even him?” Akira questions. Akechi is an enigma; he died in Shido’s palace, and yet he's here. He could've survived the attack, but it wouldn’t make sense. Futaba saw the readings. It could've also been a copy like everyone else, but he was blindfolded with them. 

He also was way too emotional and had an actual personality, completely different from the copies. 

“I strongly believe this is the real Goro Akechi.” Lavenza answers. “I do believe he died in Shido’s palace as your team witnessed, but I cannot explain his revival. I have no reason to believe he won't be able to use his persona when he's freed. I know it’s not a clear answer, but unfortunately we’re all as confused as you are. It’s a miracle we’re here to support you.” 

Akira smiles. He's content knowing that there's still more people he can trust here. Sure, he'll still see all of his confidants on the side, but these two felt real. 

“Thank you. Now, I’ve collected a few personas in Akechi’s palace I’d like to fuse…”

\--

Ann keeps her head down, traversing around the different people in downtown Tokyo. She doesn't want to look at the empty faces, walking to destinations pre-determined for them. Well, she doesn't want to look at them period, but she has to at least look at their shoes. 

At some point she passes by the same black shoes over and over, and she knows she's close to her destination: Hirashi Academy. Even though Shujin was on winter break, not every school in Tokyo is. 

From the few times she’d slip into the building to have lunch with Shiho before, she knows how to get around it. Nonetheless, she's still sneaking into a school she doesn't go to. 

Looking for sketchy teachers or nosey students, Ann sneaks in through the back of the building. She spots Shiho sitting at a table alone, without many other students around. She knows it was unusual since in reality, it would be crowded in the back after school. The students stick around normally, but maybe here everyone follows some kind of schedule. 

She's more likely to get caught this way, but she has a feeling no one will ask her to leave. Shiho doesn’t spot Ann until she’s closer, simply waving hi to her. 

“Hi Ann, nice afternoon we’re having.” Shiho sounds hollow; she isn’t sad or happy, or anything really… She seems pretty emotionless. Still, it isn't going to stop Ann from trying to talk to her girlfriend. 

“Yeah, it is. How have you been feeling? Settled into your classes for the third semester?” Ann asks. It's a loaded question to see if Shiho really is like the others she saw around her. 

“It’s good, thank you.” Shiho smiles, scribbling into a notebook on the table. Is it her? It has to be, right? Ann sighs, resting her head on her left hand. She reaches out her right, trying to take Shiho’s hand. “Hm? Is something wrong?” 

“Hold my hand. I need some comfort.” Ann says sadly. 

Even if it isn't Shiho, Ann knows she's going to treat her like it. Shiho is her much needed break from the world, something that brought them both together initially. When their relationship went from just friends to girlfriends, it didn’t really change their dynamic. 

All the emotions were already there; it was just a physical shift. Something she still really values whenever she holds Shiho's hand or kisses her. 

Shiho stares at her hand. For a moment, Ann swears she sees life in her girlfriend’s dark eyes. Shiho puts down her pencil, using both hands to clap Ann’s. Shiho looked up at her, happiness in her eyes. 

“I’m sorry you’re not okay.” Shiho says. It sounds like the Shiho she knows. So it has to be her. Ann laughs quietly, before it grows into a boisterous laugh. The entire time, Shiho stares at her happily. For a split second, with tears in her eyes from laughing so hard, she thinks she sees a twitch in Shiho's face. 

She chooses to ignore it. 

\--

“Man, the nerve of that guy.” Ryuji mumbles, fumbling with the controller in his hand. 

Thankfully Haru had a small television he could drag into his and Makoto's room, so he wasn't entirely stuck without his video games. Could he have gone without it? Yeah. Did he want to? No, not really. After all, it was a pretty good stress reliever since Mementos is a bust now. 

Although there's only so much video games can do. Akechi is still on his mind. Why the hell was he targeting Haru that way?  
“He was interesting wasn’t he?” 

“Shit Yusuke!” The controller bounces on the ground. On the television, there's loud explosions before the beeps of his character's death. 

“Did I startle you?" Yusuke innocently asks.

"Uh, yeah, why the hell are you still here? I thought you went back to the dorms? How did you even get inside?" 

"The people at the dorms are overwhelming in the strangest way. I needed more time away." Oh, right. He's still at Kosei, which means he's basically living with a bunch of weird people right now. Man, how did he put up with it? Ryuji knows Yusuke's looking for some kind of escape. He scoots over and taps on the hardwood. 

"Sit down, wanna watch me play some video games?" Ryuji offers. 

"Not really, but your company is better than the students at Kosei." Yusuke crosses his legs on the floor. Before Ryuji can start the game back up, Yusuke asks, "You were mumbling about Akechi earlier, he's?

“Uh…” Ryuji couldn’t really deny it. “Y-yeah. Still not really over everything he did to Makoto back when he was alive. Now that he’s back and is tryin’ to kill Haru, it’s just pissing me off more.” 

“I believe he has to be under some kind of control. Why else would he be civilized with us? He has no reason to hate Haru. You or Makoto, I fully understand since Akechi clearly liked her and you were just another loud roadblock in his way-”

“Yeah I get it,” Ryuji cuts him off, mildly aggressive. Yeah, he's not focusing on the games anytime soon. He pauses. Even with the characters on screen still, he grabs the controller and spins the toggle clockwise to ease his running mind, “It bugs me. Dude’s a dick, I got no reason to not be mad at him ya know? Not just with Makoto, but Akira too. He literally killed him!” 

Yusuke shrugs. "He didn't seem to want to hurt anyone. You saw the way he threw his head back earlier. As much as he may hate our group, I truly believe he doesn't have any malicious intentions." 

"Are you sayin' you wanna forgive the guy?" Ryuji freezes, staring back at Yusuke. "What's goin' through that blue head of yours?" 

"I'm in no position to forgive him, considering what he did to Futaba's mother. However, I'm not going to ostracize him either." 

"Ostra-what?" 

Yusuke sighs, "I'm not going to shun or completely ignore him because of what he's done. At the very least, he's helpful in the metaverse - we need to maintain a positive relationship." 

Ryuji looks down at his feet. He doesn't want to forgive Akechi for what happened before, even if everything he did was because of Shido. Akechi was still the one who pulled the trigger, literally. Nah, Ryuji didn't want anything to do with him. When he's back on the team, he's not gonna do anything outside the metaverse. 

But Yusuke's right. Akechi is strong, and it's not the first time someone's said we need him. 

"Whatever, I'll help the guy in the metaverse but that's it. I ain’t forgiving him until he gives me a good reason to - which I don’t think will ever happen. Saying sorry ain’t enough.” Ryuji finally says. Yusuke doesn’t show any emotions on his face, choosing to remain with his best poker face. 

Ryuji knows there's gears turning in Yusuke's head. Whatever he's thinking, Ryuji gets a feeling he's not going to like it. But nothing comes of it. He stays quiet for a minute. So does Ryuji. 

"I get a feeling this will become a source of internal conflict not only among the team but within ourselves. All we can do is wait and see how Akechi chooses to act, and decide our stances from there. I'm hopeful it's a positive change." Yusuke answers, "Hopeful being the key word."

Hope. It's all really any of them can have. Hope they'll all be okay after the palaces. Hope that they'll get out of this reality safely. Hope that maybe, finally, this nightmare with the metaverse is over. He loves his persona, but having access to it meant there's still so much they need to do. 

Man, it's a headache. He doesn't want to think about it. So, he's not going to. Ryuji crawls to the television, unwrapping one of the remotes and plugging it into the console. He shoves the remote in Yusuke's cold fingers. 

"Alright no more serious shit, I'm gonna show you how to play for a bit."

\--

Haru feels her stomach gurgle for the fifth time in the past hour. She doesn't have the energy to get back up, even if she wanted to. It’s not like Makoto isn’t trying to shove food down her throat - she just has no motivation for it. She looks at the cold food several feet away from here. How long has it been? It could have been two days, five years, or three seconds, and she would believe it. Time is moving strangely, and confining herself to her bed wasn’t helping. She remembers this feeling, from when her father was alive. It never escalated to this point, but it’s the same dark hole.

But this is worse. 

Nothing she did can pull her out of this darkness. It hurts her to live like this, but right now, she can't imagine another way of living. 

_You were supposed to live as a wife._

Haru shoots up out of bed, standing up. Her legs tremble slightly as she walks around her room, looking for the source of the sound. There’s no one around, and her door is still locked. She reaches for the door, opening it up slightly to see if anyone is around. When no one is down either side of the hall, she slams it shut. Sliding down, she finds herself sitting with her back to the door. Facing her messy room, her body shakes and hyperventilates from the energy wasted on looking outside. She didn’t have any motivation to clean it these days.

_Standing as a voiceless prize to your husband._

The voice, again. With that, she believes it's her father’s voice. All she needs now is for him to appear in front of her, and she could tell the others she was next. She knows somewhere in the depths of her mind, a palace is beginning to take shape. She doesn't know what it looks like, and she would never know.

Even if she had the energy, she’d never want to enter her own palace. Still… Why go in when they could do it for her? She knows Makoto was observant, and likely already made assumptions of her. Maybe she doesn't need to mention it. Maybe they’ve already gone inside. 

She can just… go back to sleep, let the world pass by her. Her head starts to drop down, her mouth slightly ajar. They won't need her, it's okay to rest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to double edit this time so hopefully it works out!  
> Also, with this chapter this is already about as long as 'You Can Maybe Touch The Artwork' which is just crazy to me.


	7. Ten of Cups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UPRIGHT: unity, partnership, attraction, connection, close bonds, joining forces, mutual respect  
>  **REVERSED: separation, rejection, division, imbalance, tension, bad communication, withdrawal**

“Haru? Please, we haven’t seen you in a few days. Can I come in?" Makoto knocks on Haru’s door, holding a small bowl of white rice in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Ryuji already left for the station, with Makoto hoping to see Haru before she went to question Akechi. 

Finally, after a handful of knocks, she hears some scuffling inside. The door unlocks, but Haru doesn't come out. When Makoto turns the door knob, she finds it open. 

There’s a light musty smell beginning to form inside Haru's room. Bits of dust in the air that Makoto isn’t used to seeing. Things are out of place, or thrown about in the room. For someone who hasn't left her room, she must be active within it. 

Sitting in the same armchair facing away from her, Makoto sees an empty plate and cup on the side table from the last meal she’d brought her. Haru hasn't tried to come out, and reasonably, Makoto worries for her appetite. Haru thankfully has taken the food she set in front of the door last night, and stepping into her room is another small win. 

It's hard knowing that victories this small are a sign of something darker. 

“Hi.” Haru’s voice is quiet, afraid. 

“Are you feeling okay? The others tried texting you, and I’m sure you’ve heard us all knock on your door. Thank you for eating as well.” Makoto says, switching out the plate and glass. "Are you going into the palace with the others today?" 

“I’m sick,” Haru lies, “I’ll be fine in a few days.” Makoto tries to get a look at Haru’s face, but Haru shakes her head. Her moved hair keeps most of her face out of sight, covered by tangled curls. Makoto knows better than to ask for more details now. 

But she knows Haru is lying. She's not sick in the traditional sense, or rather, Makoto is set on a single diagnosis. 

“Okay, I’ll be here today if you need anything. Call me if you need something.” Makoto says, slowly walking back towards the door. She knows Haru won't take up the offer, but she does so anyway. 

“Thank you, Mako-chan.” Haru says, turning slightly. Makoto swears she can see the tear-stained skin of her face, but the hair covers too much. 

“Of course, I’m here for you.” Makoto answers, finally closing the door. 

She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand. There isn't much she could really do for Haru besides offer her a shoulder to cry on. Even then, Haru wouldn’t take it. She can't begin to imagine what this is like for Haru. It's the second time someone close to Makoto developed a palace. With Sae the first time, she didn’t consider the signs. 

For as long as Makoto could remember, Sae was aggressive with her career and with raising Makoto. It was never abusive, and even when she was out of her mind, it was a slow build to insanity. If she didn’t know about palaces, she would’ve thought her sister simply snapped from the stress. 

With Haru, months of distortion and emotional turmoil are happening in the span of a few days. She's not sure what the cause is, but she has a feeling she'll have an answer after speaking with Akechi. 

Makoto washes the plates, hearing Akechi whistle a tune behind her. Of course he's free again. Why they still bother with the zip ties, Makoto doesn't know. Perhaps more so for her own sanity, to feel some control of the situation. When she tries to listen, she's not sure what the song is, nor is she going to ask about it. With the water running, it's mostly blocked out anyway.

When she finishes and sets the dishes out to dry, she takes a deep breath in. The last time they were this alone together, he was alive and on his last legs. The conversation at the television studio played in her head....  
_  
“You need to get a grip on reality."_

_"I have."_

_"You - What?"_

_"I'm doing just fine. I've accepted this reality. I truly don’t care anymore if you like or more not; I’ve had my revenge, and I’m moving on. I’m free."_

_"You sure don't look like you are,"_

_"You were so pristine in your television interview today, and now that I see you behind the scenes, maybe it's not as black and white as it seems.”_

_“You know nothing of my life.”_

_“You’re right, I don’t. If I did, you might give me another reason to hate you.”_

_"You need to leave. Now."  
_  
He looks different today. Then again, this is the first time she’s seen him in full daylight since the distortion started. It's noticeable in the slight twitch of his leg, tapping to the sound of his whistling coming from his dry, chapped lips. His hair is poorly tied back in a low messy bun. Where did he get a hair tie?

It's odd seeing him so calm, and yet, so tormented. His whistling stops, mumbling starts. He balls his fists. 

“Okay Akechi, I’m going to ask you some questions and you’re going to answer them for me.” Makoto confidently states, walking to him. She stands before him, the mumbling stopping. 

“Oh really?” He laughs, as if he didn't look insane a moment ago “And what happens if I decide to not help?” Makoto presses her lips together, moving directly in front of him. Her legs are mere inches away from his. Looking down upon him, her eyes narrow. Forcing him to make eye contact, it's more intimidating than she expects. 

But she wants answers. 

“Haru is developing a palace, and somehow you're influencing it. I don't understand it, but you seem to. The only shot I have at properly helping her is making sure I understand your mind. So you're going to answer my questions." 

"If you give me my personal space back I'll consider it." He says with an annoyed tone. Makoto takes small steps back, letting herself fall gently onto the couch across from him. His foot starts tapping away again, this time to no specific tune.

"You have your space." 

"You're not going to stop bothering me, are you?" 

"You're welcome to go back to your room and we can lock you back in there." It's an empty threat, an offer she hopes he won't take her up on. He seems to understand this, as he mumbles something underneath his breath. Softly, she swears she hears Shido's name when his eyes cast off to the left. "Is he talking to you?" 

"Do you even care?" Was that a hint of pain? He keeps his head firmly in place, but she's observant of every single flinch and motion of his face. He’s holding something back. "I thought you'd enjoy seeing me spiral."

"I don't like you, but I don't want you to suffer this way." Makoto admits. She needs to stop the conversation from derailing, "I want you to start at the beginning. Please.”

"Fine." He sighs, "What is your definition of the beginning?" 

Makoto leans forward. She needs to go back, piece parts of the past together. Distortions don’t come out of nowhere, but while she knows enough of the distant past, she needs something a little more recent, "When you joined our team." 

\--

“Looks like we're on,” Skull says, grinding his teeth as he stomps on stage. Escorted for what he hopes is the last time, he already feels a difference. It's not like the last two visits, but he's not sure what it is. Then again, they've just about caught up to him joining the team… 

When the lights flash, the stage is practically gone. Eaten up by a combination of Sae's and Shido’s palace, it almost doesn't look like a stage anymore. If it wasn't for the audience still around them, their own seats and clothing blending into the scene, he would've thought he was somewhere else. It makes sense to Skull to combine the two, but it's almost like the whole thing is meant to trigger Makoto. 

Thank god she stayed behind. 

Although what stands out to him is the giant roulette wheel appearing at the edge of the stage, filled with black and red patterns. The crowd cheers as a cognitive ruler Sae struts on stage. Obviously it's not her, but seeing her spin the roulette wheel again doesn't sit well with him. 

The wheel changes, something else appears on it but Skull can't tell what it is until it starts to slow down. 

"Akira Kurusu." The cognitive Sae smiles, before her body changes colors, appearing as if she's glitching out. A second later, she glitches Into Shadow Akechi. Shit, right. Akira died around this time - 

Oh. 

"Dude step back," Skull says, stepping cautiously in front of him. 

"Such a strange and horrible relationship." Shadow Akechi brings the back of his hand up to his forehead, "How do I deal with the travesty?" 

"Uh...what?" Skull tilts his head. What the hell is he going on about? Shadow Akechi glitches again, disappearing before him. Why's he doing this in the first place? 

"You always take the fall for your precious teammates don't you?" Skull hears behind him. Shadow Akechi's grabbing onto waist with one arm and a gun to Joker's temple in his other hand. 

"Let him go!" Panther shouts. 

Shadow Akechi tsks, "Killing him would be too obvious of a twist. Let's rewrite a small part of history, shall we?" Shadow Akechi points the gun right at Skull, before digging into his pocket and throwing a Goho-M at him. 

“Shit!” Skull shouts, immediately guarding. He's grateful for it immediately as shadows ambush them from above. The applause is overwhelming to Skull's senses. All he can do is guard and hope that nothing comes towards him immediately. 

It sucks, but if he tries to do this he’s dead. Thankfully, he sees the team pick up the slack. Joker is the first to jump in front of Skull, shielding him from a wind attack. On the other side, Fox and Panther prepare their showtime attack to take down a strong shadow with no clear weakness. On the other side of the stage, Violet attacks as many shadows as she can, bringing their health down to aid the others whenever they could step in. Finally, Fox and Panther successfully bring down two shadows with back-to-back showtime attacks. 

“Panther, Diarahan on me twice, first time now!” Joker yells as he pushes forward on the shadow in front of him with a strong physical move. She complies, quickly healing him back to full health. He does a similar attack, this time targeting multiple shadows. He takes them all down with one fell swoop. “Second one!” 

Panther heals him again. Skull lets down the ground, pumping his fist in the air. 

“Don’t celebrate just yet, Skull.” Panther says. 

The stage violently shakes. The wheel at the end cracks, rolling off towards the center. Half the team jumps one way, with the other jumping the other. In its place appears a familiar wall. It was the wall that saved them in Shido’s palace when - 

Oh. 

“Don't make me laugh! Justice? Righteous!?” Akechi’s voice is distorted as the lights flicker over and over. Skull watches the faces of the audience go from extremely excited to dangerously disgusted over and over again. It makes him dizzy with the fast lights and even faster mood shift. Are they turning against him? He didn't like the feeling of this. Apparently, neither did Oracle, since he feels one of her buffs hit him. 

“Akechi please! We don’t have to do this-” Joker starts, cut off by a more distorted Akechi voice coming through. 

“Keep that shit to yourselves! You and your teammates piss me off!” He continues, glitching back and forth in different parts of the stage. Man, Makoto would've had a field day trying to understand what's going through Shadow Akechi's head right now with the glitching. 

But it's not until he hears the wind blowing out of Joker's mouth, his knees hitting the ground, that it hits him. His knife falls out of his hand. 

“It’s the Psychotic Break.” Joker coughs out, grabbing onto his gut. Violet rushes over to help him up, but she’s immediately pushed down onto him. 

“I-sorry!” Violet pushes herself off, this time properly helping Joker up. He doesn’t let go of her hand, even when Skull hands him his knife back. 

“How are we supposed to attack him?” Panther questions. She screams as she guards, seeing Akechi wildly come towards her. Her lips scowl, before gasping softly, "It's not Shadow Akechi."

Skull watches her push him back, long enough for her to take out her whip and kill him in one snap. 

“Panther what are you doing?" Fox shouts. 

Skull cuts him off, watching him reappear in a new spot, "What the hell is going on?”

“He’s not real. I think this is how Akechi saw himself, just a mess of different parts of himself." Joker says, seeing another one coming out of the corner of his eye. He quickly shoots at it, and targets the one in the corner. 

"That's deep, dude." Oracle says behind him. Skull holds back a laugh, especially when he's the next to feel the impact of the next attack. Somehow catching it in time, he raises his mace and holds it horizontally to keep him back. Copying Panther, he pushes him back and whacks his upper body until he too disappears. 

From there, it's a game of cat and mouse.

The team pulls out their guns, shooting any and all the Akechi's they spot. The loud sounds of bangs, thumps and cracks are obvious. Bits of the wood in the stage shatter and fall around them, but Skull has no problem dodging any of it. As ammo runs low, the sounds get softer and softer until the final bullet is shot. 

By the time they're finally able to get through them all, the state of the theater is empty. There are holes in the walls, columns, and curtains. The audience seems to have faded away at some point, and the cheering is long gone. 

As far as acts went, Skull doesn't know what to think. This was the 'final act,' but it was just a rush from start to finish. 

A small foggy cloud appears in the center of the stage. Despite the lack of a real show from Akechi, the treasure appears, all ready for a simple calling card...so what's going on in reality? 

And what the hell did this all mean?

\--

"I followed all of you into his palace. And then I don't have to tell you what happens next." No, Makoto knows what happened in Shido's palace. The fight, at least. 

"What happened after that wall fell?" She asks without hesitation. With the same confidence she had earlier, he responds. 

"I died. After that all I remember is waking up to that voice." The gap in his memory must've been enough for him to realize in that moment he died. 

"So when did you realize you had a palace?" She was hoping some of his past experience and perspective would help, but instead… it didn't do enough. All it did was remind her of a darker time in her life. 

"When I pushed Okumura, in that initial meeting. I didn't have full control over what I said." 

"Do you regret what you said?" Looking back, that argument is tame compared to the screaming match she's sure she missed when Haru and Akechi were alone. 

"No. I'm sure I'll have some regrets after your team steals my heart," He rolls his eyes, "Don't expect anything sentimental."

"Trust me, I won't." She pushes back. 

Sure, she's not happy with this, but she has an idea now. A lack of self control is a confirmation she's comfortable making. She could see hints of that in the way Haru pushed herself away from everyone else. Haru's always been a little private with her emotions, but on this scale? It’s completely out of character.

Hm. 

"Anything else?" He says, a smug grin on half of his face. 

"Are your inner thoughts overly exaggerated? As in, if you're always this cynical in your mind, is it worse now?" 

His smile drops. His eyes dart to the left again, a low growl coming from deep in his throat. Another episode, another moment where Akechi is impossible to reach. It's short lived. At least she wants to think it is, but he hasn't shifted to view her again. 

"Exaggerated." He struggles to get it out as his jaw stiffens.

A simple response, but it tells her what she needs to know. Although, she's not sure what goes through Haru's (or Akechi's) inner thoughts to begin with. Is it a matter of issues with themselves, or all of their thoughts? If it's related to the way they think, then Akechi wouldn't act like this. He's clearly bothered by the illusion of Shido. 

There's three criteria she can confirm with some confidence:

>   
>  1\. They see a hallucination, but she doesn’t know what that will look like for everyone.  
>  2\. An exaggerated train of thought, but she's not entirely sure if it's based on insecurities or thoughts as a whole.  
>  3\. A lack of self control… one that may influence the next palace distortion.  
> 

She's gotten enough information. His episode seems to fully pass, as his body loosens up and his eyes are back on her. All of her questions were answered. Well, the ones related to the palace, anyway.

While she's got him, a flash of the past hits her. 

"Did you actually like me?" 

He sucks in his breath, "Are we really talking about this? How is this related to the palace?"

"It's not," Makoto admits. If it is, it's not on purpose. "I want to know if you asked me on that date because you liked me or because you wanted to make it seem like you were part of the team?" 

"Both," He says simply, "Those feelings disappeared a long time ago, as I mentioned when you stormed into my dressing room." 

He did allude to it before, but it wasn't as direct as he states now. 

"Do you regret it all?" She raises her voice, "Everything torturous thing you put me through?" 

Akechi stays quiet. It's a silence she's not comfortable with. With the way he looks away now, it's not the same as before. He looks to the right. His eyes aren't angry, but he's conflicted. 

"Ask me again after the palace is completed."

\--

“Great show everyone!” Shadow Akechi claps as the team walks out through the door. Any of the threats and fanfare from earlier seemed to dissipate. “I certainly hope I’ll see every single one of you at the curtain call.” 

“Curtain call?” Panther wonders aloud. 

Shadow Akechi nods. “Yes, we certainly have to celebrate all of you and your success. I only request this time you bring all of your friends. No curtain call otherwise.” Shadow Akechi’s unsettling smile hits Skull a little different. So basically they gotta bring everyone or no treasure appearing. Just great. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll be there.” Joker says, “And we’ll be sure to steal the treasure.”

Shadow Akechi moves forward, inches away from Joker’s face. “I’d like to see you try.” 

As quick as he is to arrive, he flees. It’s not clear where he goes since he disappears in a puff of smoke, but with him gone, they’re able to pick up the final will seed and put the three skulls together on their way to the safe room. Everyone surrounds the table, watching the item appear before them. It turns into a thick black wristband, with a red lacy pattern along it. There’s a dark aura emanating from it, but just from looking at it. Joker picks it up, analyzing it before handing it to Violet. 

“Switch out your old accessory. This should help with some of the curse damage that comes your way.” He says, holding his hand out for her to take the item. Violet removes her old wristband, replacing it with the new one. 

“It’s much lighter than my old one.” Violet excitedly notes, admiring the new item. They always got some good stuff out of it, but man, it would've been nice to get Jose to upgrade it. Either way, no point in thinking about Mementos, they're close to finally bringing Akechi down a notch. 

“So what’s the plan Joker?” Skull excitedly asks. 

“We should send the calling card tomorrow morning. You and Makoto can write something tonight and slip it to him before we meet up. I don't want to wait another day, not with that glitching." Joker shakes his head, "I know it wasn't him glitching, but it's just weird and I have no other way of describing it."

"I'm already writing up notes about that for Makoto." Oracle types away on her keyboard. Her feet are kicked up on one of the empty chairs, "I'll email it to her when we get back, so she'll see it before they start the calling card.”

Violet looks confused. “Wait, that quickly? I know I have no experience, but it all feels very sudden.” 

“It is, honestly. Things always move kinda fast at the end.” Joker sits back down at the head of the table, a tired look sweeps his face. “Just to look ahead, and Makoto knows more than I do, but Haru is probably next. She’s not leaving her room, and she’s not here for a reason. Akechi is clearly targeting her but I don’t think it’s actually intentional. I hope Makoto might have some answers for us when we get back." 

Skull doesn't like the way the air changes in the room. This isn’t some big mafia boss or a fucked-up politician on a power trip. This is Haru. They’re supposed to trust her, and Skull still does. But he doesn’t feel good about himself anymore. Anything he says could twist someone else to have a palace. 

He keeps his face down, but looks at the others. No one wants to make eye contact, or think about after Akechi’s palace. Makoto may have answers, but he's not sure if he wants to know them. 

"This feels really real now," Oracle admits. 

"I know it’s hard on all of us to do this, but the faster we go through this, the less we’ll all suffer. Both as a team and as distorted individuals.” 

“We should go, we’re done here right?” Panther nearly interrupts. She doesn’t look particularly happy. Then again, Skull was sure there was a nasty frown on his own face.

“Uh…” Joker looks at her for a moment, as if he wants to say something else. He seems to scan the room, and reluctantly says, “Yeah, let’s go.”  
Whatever Joker wanted to say, he’s sure it’ll come up later. Probably. 

It’s a quiet walk out of the palace. 

This was only the tip of the iceberg, and Skull knows it's all going to shit as soon as the treasure appears in the palace. 

\--

“Akira, can we talk?” Kasumi asks, running to catch up to him. There wasn't much for the team to talk about after coming back, and everyone split up almost immediately after. But she doesn't really want to be alone right now, or go home to empty rooms slowly collecting dust. 

“Hey, what’s up?” Akira smiles at her, warming her heart. With no one around, she goes right to his side, and he wraps his arm around her shoulders. He's never so open with public displays of affection, so she'll take anything she can get!

“How are you doing? I know it hasn’t been the easiest transition, and I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you.” She questions. His smile remains in place, but she’s sure it’s not entirely how he feels. From the little she saw in the palace, he's exhausted already. 

“I’m coping, as I’m sure we all are. As I’m upset as I am about Haru and Akechi, I’m glad it isn’t you right now.” Akira confides in her. I mean, she is too. The last thing she needs to have a palace, especially since she's finally getting the hang of things! Although, she's not sure what her own palace would look like. She didn't have any major issues besides Sumire's death. Actually, maybe she shouldn’t think about that right now. 

“Likewise… Listen Senpai, I know you’ve been working really hard trying to keep the team up and running, but how about you take the night off and try to act like a normal teenager? The stress won’t do you any good!” She insists, stopping him to turn and face her. 

"I don't know, I was thinking about picking up a shift at the flower shop." Akira scratches the back of his neck. She takes his wrists, before she intertwines their fingers together. 

"Please? Just one night! Then I won't bother you about it for a while." Kasumi tries to reason with him. "You don't have to be Joker all the time, right?"

Joker. The way he acts in the palace is shocking to her sometimes. Not to say he's not confident in reality, but the way he carries himself in the palace is phenomenal. It's everything she wants to be in her routines! But even she knows she needs a break sometimes, so that means he does too. 

“Kasumi…” Akira stands wide eyed.

“Please? Let’s go to Kichijoji or something, get your mind off of the metaverse for one night." Deep down, she knows it's a little selfish. She really doesn't want to go home just yet. But if she can kill two birds with one stone by having a fun time with Akira, why not?

“Sure, we can go to the jazz club.” Kasumi grins, feeling a small rush of excitement from the prospect of doing something non-metaverse related. She bounces up and down, her ponytail flying back and forth.

“Come on,” She starts to walk away. “Last one to the station has to buy the other dinner!” Kasumi giggles before running off. 

Akira laughs, “At least wait for me!” He runs off, not too far behind her. 

\--

“Alright, I’m done. This combines both of our ideas. Honestly? I think this is our best work yet, Ryuji.” Makoto finishes the draft of the calling card. She rests the notebook against the back of Ryuji's head, who used her lap as a pillow. After getting Futaba's email and hearing some things first hand from Ryuji, her mind is buzzing with ideas. Things she can't fully flesh out until this card was finalized. 

“Cool, read it aloud.” He says, finally lifting his head up and sitting up properly on their shared bed. "I know I helped with the ideas but you always got the fancy words."

“Okay, here goes: _‘Goro Akechi, the attention seeking sinner of greed. You used your powers gifted from the gods for evil, and sought attention for solving crimes you committed. Thus, we will rob every last bit of those distorted desires, and redeem the true Goro Akechi beneath the mask. From, the Phantom Thieves.’_ How’s that?” Makoto reads aloud. She places her bookmark in, closing the book to see Ryuji’s reaction. He’s noticeably distressed, “Is something wrong?” 

“I dunno, the whole redeeming thing ain’t sitting well with me.” Ryuji confesses. “What did he say to ya to think he deserves it?”

Makoto purses her lips, “When I was talking to him earlier, it felt as if he had some regrets he doesn’t want to admit, and in reality he may never do it. But the way I see it, if we make him think we're going to pull these emotions out of him, then maybe it'll help with the treasure." 

"Yeah, make sense, I just -," Ryuji groans, "I dunno, I just can't get my head around having to deal with this guy again. Like is the 'good' version of him actually gonna be good?"

Makoto doesn't have an answer for that. But it's been weighing on her own mind, especially after the conversation. There's no way the same 'Detective Prince' they knew was coming back. Odds are, it'd be a combination of this bitter Akechi and the facade he put on television. Although, is he staying after this whole thing passes? Nothing was ever made clear, or explicitly said in favor of him staying or going. 

"No, he won't be. But he'll be good enough to function without causing conflict." Makoto hopes. 

He shrugs, “All Akechi is right now is conflict. Like, I told ya he wants all of us in that fight. How are we gonna pull Haru out of her room? If she really is next then she's gonna be a mess in the fight." 

Makoto bites her lip, "That’s one of the things on my mind. All I can do is be upfront and hope she complies." 

"Hey, card’s done right?" Ryuji takes the notebook out of her hands, lightly closing it and setting it to the side, "We can make it all fancy with the art Yusuke gave us later, what else is on your mind?" 

"A lot." Makoto sighs, "I have an idea how to tell who's next but it's not a perfect system. Akechi's behavior post-palace worries me as well. Haru… I don't have to explain. And then this glitching in the palace - there's so many gaps I don't know how to fill them."

"Hey hey, look at me," Ryuji holds her shoulders. Her mouth falls open, lightly breathing in air from the small distance between them. "You don’t gotta fill any gaps right now. We’re all gonna figure this shit out. You're gonna be okay." 

"I'm gonna be okay." Makoto repeats. She needs to be more aware of her own emotions. This is a stressful time but if she lets it eat her up, she won't be able to help. 

"You're gonna be okay.” Ryuji smiles at her. “I know shit's crazy right now, but we gotta take it one thing at a time." 

"That's quite reasonable of you, what a nice change of pace." Makoto teases. 

"Hey!" Ryuji answers, pulling his hands off her shoulders, "I can be reasonable!" 

"I know," She leans in to kiss his cheek, "But thank you. You're right, we can figure everything out one step at a time."

"Yeah, like we got some ass to kick tomorrow!" He grins. “We got this. What could go wrong?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing to share:  
> There is a set of fanmade palace themes that I did use as inspiration for creating the palaces. Akechi's palace was inspired by bits and pieces of comments of the video, which I hope I did some justice for? ~~pun not intended~~
> 
> [Akechi's Palace Theme (Ode Imaginations)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meaQArEzJxs)
> 
> There's another one I found about half way through writing this story I also want to share  
> [Lamented By Fate (PetalPryxm)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEKqO0ELwXo)

**Author's Note:**

> Where to find me:  
> [Tumblr](https://watercolor-woman.tumblr.com/)  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/watercolorw0man)


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